Federal action not likely to impact local energy bills

Courtesy: Great River Energy News Clips

As part of a larger effort to convince U.S. trade partners to take more serious action on drug smuggling, President Donald Trump implemented tariffs ranging from 10-25% on goods from Canada, Mexico and China.

Some Minnesotans worried over how the tariffs and other federal action could impact their electric bill, especially after energy imports coming from Ontario were threatened with a 25% surcharge on U.S.-bound electricity in retaliation to Trump’s tariffs. Local utility providers said they expect any impacts of the federal actions around trade to have little impact on consumers in Minnesota.

Syd Briggs, general manager of the Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric, said the co-op sources its power from Great River Energy, which sources its energy from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). MISO is a power grid that supplies energy to at least part of 15 states, including Minnesota. It gets 2% of its electricity from Canada.

“I hope things work out between Canada and United States, as far as this going back and forth,” he said. “However, as of right now, that one really shouldn’t affect us, but it does affect citizens of the United States. So for their benefit, I hope that works out.” 

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