House committee advances bill to allow large hydro to count toward renewable energy credits

The Minnesota House Committee on Energy Finance and Policy voted to refer House File 75 to the General Register, advancing a proposal that would remove statutory language preventing hydroelectric projects larger than 100 megawatts from counting toward the state’s renewable energy system.

Representative Anderson moved the referral and the motion carried after a voice vote. The bill’s author said the proposal would allow policymakers and developers to consider larger hydro facilities as a potential source of carbon‑free baseload generation and to let those projects be evaluated for eligibility under the state’s renewable energy framework.

Supporters said the change is procedural and would not permit any specific projects without the normal permitting and licensing processes. Joe Hoppe of Otter Tail Power Company told the committee his utility operates five small hydro plants near Fergus Falls that together generate a little more than 3.5 megawatts (about 1% of Otter Tail’s generation), and said Otter Tail currently has no plans for hydro projects over 100 MW. Rachel Stuckey, executive director of the Minnesota Conservative Energy Forum, said modern hydro can provide dependable carbon‑free baseload power and that any new or modified hydro facility would still undergo federal and state regulatory reviews, including Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licensing when applicable.

Opponents and some committee members questioned whether there are any actual proposals that would use the change. Representative Jones and Representative Acum noted they were not aware of any planned Minnesota projects exceeding the 100 MW threshold and described the bill as allowing discussion rather than authorizing construction. Representative Acum asked that the measure be considered by the House Environment Committee because of potential environmental impacts; Representative Anderson said the bill does not change environmental statutes and agreed to speak with the environment committee chair if re‑referral were requested.

Representative Anderson renewed his motion to send House File 75 to the General Register; the chair called the voice vote and announced that the ayes prevailed. The committee did not adopt any amendments on the floor.

The bill will appear on the General Register, where it may be re‑referred to another committee for additional review. The committee made no formal findings about environmental impacts or the existence of any concrete >100 MW hydro proposals during the hearing.