On May 3, 2022, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission took a significant step in establishing the rules of the road for the Natural Gas Innovation Act, also known as NGIA. The Commission considered an extensive written record and heard testimony to help inform its decision on the regulatory frameworks it will use to evaluate pilot plans submitted by gas utilities under NGIA—including how the pilots will calculate greenhouse gas emissions reductions from gas utilities in the coming years.
Fresh Energy applauds the Commission’s decision to adopt frameworks and analytical approaches that will help the Commission, utilities, and all stakeholders gain knowledge about the deployment of electrification pilots and programs.
“This is the first, important step in the entire process that the Natural Gas Innovation Act triggered here in Minnesota,” said Joe Dammel, director of gas decarbonization at Fresh Energy. “What we learn from these pilots will be applied to the future decisions about our state’s transition away from using fossil gas in our homes and businesses.”
In 2021, the bipartisan Natural Gas Innovation Act was passed in the Minnesota Legislature. This bill will help Minnesota take an important step towards reducing climate change and pollution-causing emissions by creating a pathway for gas utilities to explore opportunities to transition away from fossil-based fuels and toward lower or carbon-free resources. Learn more about NGIA.
