The effort to pass a new metro-area sales tax to fund critical investments in transit, biking, and walking has officially failed for this legislative session.

Plus: An Ohio State University team aims to build the world’s fastest electric car.

On May 10, the Minnesota Senate passed a slightly modified version of an earlier comprehensive transportation funding bill 35-27. Fresh Energy supports this bill, which will provide transformative funding for transit, walking, and biking, and needed road funding.

Today, the Minnesota Senate passed its Energy Omnibus bill in a 37-26 vote. This comes after the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the House version of the bill on Tuesday.

Plus: The University of Wisconsin receives $10 million for a program to help the dairy industry reduce its climate impact.

Last night, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed its Energy Omnibus bill. The bill establishes a solar energy standard of four percent by 2025, expands Minnesota’s solar market, increases the state’s Renewable Electricity Standard to 40 percent by 2030 for investor-owned utilities, and removes barriers to developing clean locally produced power.

Plus: In what the franchise owner calls an “experiment,” a Cleveland-area McDonald’s is equipped with a wide range of energy-saving technology, including a 341-panel solar array and a geothermal heating and cooling system.

On May 10, stop by Sparrow Cafe for a one-hour meeting with Joel Cannon, CEO of tenKsolar, to talk about solar manufacturing in Minnesota.

On May 4, stop by Anodyne Coffee for a one-hour meeting with Fresh Energy’s J. Drake Hamilton to talk about the road to a clean energy future.

On May 3, stop by Sparrow Cafe for a one-hour meeting with Dustin Dennison, owner of Applied Energy Innovations, to talk about clean energy jobs.