Energy committee advances bill to phase out Renewable Development Account to Ways and Means, 8-7

The Minnesota House Committee on Energy Finance and Policy voted 8-7 on a party-line‑style split to refer House File 1738 to the Ways and Means Committee after testimony for and against a proposal to phase out the Renewable Development Account (RDA).

House File 1738, introduced by Rep. Swazinski, would close the RDA — a state fund created in 1994 that receives payments tied to dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel at Xcel Energy sites — and transition remaining or committed payments as described in the bill. Rep. Swazinski told the committee, “If those goals will be reached, it’s time for the legislature to get out of the way. … Drive down the cost of energy for Minnesotans.”

The RDA’s history and recent uses were a central part of the hearing. Legislative staff and historical testimony described the account’s origin in a 1994 compromise tied to additional dry cask storage at Prairie Island and Monticello, and its evolution into a funding source for grants, incentives and programs including solar rebates, biomass research, and community energy projects. Legislative counsel Mr. Eloff summarized the account’s early mechanics, noting that from 2001 to 2010 about $165 million had been contributed and that the fund had supported roughly 200 grants, with a median award near $245,000.

Opponents and supporters framed the policy and fiscal trade-offs differently. Representatives and business advocates in…