MREA: At the Capitol: Working to keep your power affordable and reliable

At the Capitol: Working to keep your power affordable and reliable

Courtesy: Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA)

There’s plenty for cooperative member-owners to know about following the 2026 Minnesota legislative session affecting the energy that powers your home, farm or business. 

It was a session shaped by divided government. With a tied House, a one-seat Senate majority and an election looming in November, every bill needed bipartisan agreement to move. Much of the Legislature’s attention went to a supplemental budget, funding for Hennepin County Medical Center, tax conformity and a capital investment package, leaving less room for major policy changes elsewhere. 

Even so, Minnesota’s electric cooperatives made important progress on the issues that matter most to member-owners. The session delivered a meaningful step forward on nuclear energy and stopped several costly proposals before they could become law. 

A step forward on nuclear energy

After three decades of standing still, Minnesota took its first real step forward on nuclear energy. 

Lawmakers approved a state nuclear energy study, the most significant movement on the issue since Minnesota’s nuclear moratorium was put in place in 1994. The moratorium itself remains on the books, but the study reflects a growing recognition at the Capitol that nuclear power deserves a serious look as the state works toward its carbon-free electricity goals. 

Minnesota’s electric cooperatives, working through the Minnesota Rural Electric Association, helped lead this effort as a founding member of the Minnesota Nuclear Energy Alliance. The Alliance brings together more than 60 organizations spanning utilities, labor, agriculture, business and environmental groups, and its broad reach helped move nuclear into the mainstream of Minnesota’s energy conversation. 

The study itself will examine the costs, benefits and trade-offs of nuclear energy in Minnesota, including its potential role in supporting affordability, reliability and emissions reductions. Its findings will give lawmakers a stronger foundation for deciding whether to lift the moratorium next year.

 Holding the line on costly new mandates

Just as important as what passed is what didn’t. 

Several proposals introduced this session would have added new costs, new mandates or new layers of regulation onto Minnesota’s electric cooperatives. None of them became law, and that outcome wasn’t an accident. 

Throughout the session, Minnesota’s electric cooperatives, through MREA and the advocacy of member-owners across the state, worked to educate legislators about how mandates from St. Paul affect locally governed, not-for-profit cooperatives differently than they do large investor-owned utilities. Bills touching on solar policy, affordability mandates and utility operations all stalled before reaching the finish line. Cooperative priorities like net metering reform also saw little movement, leaving important work for future sessions. 

That distinction matters because cooperatives are governed by the members they serve. Decisions about your electricity are made by neighbors you can talk to, not regulators in St. Paul. One-size-fits-all mandates often raise costs, undermine that local democracy and add bureaucracy without delivering real benefits to member-owners. Stopping bad policy rarely makes headlines, but it remains one of the most valuable services MREA provides to cooperatives and the families and businesses we serve. 

Looking ahead to 2027

The November election will reshape the makeup of the Legislature, and the political landscape next session could look very different. What won’t change is the focus of Minnesota’s electric cooperatives: advocating for affordable, reliable electricity and protecting the local, democratic governance that makes cooperatives unique. 

Nuclear energy will likely return as a central conversation in 2027, alongside continued debate over mandates, affordability and the pace of Minnesota’s energy transition. Net metering reform will also remain near the top of the cooperative agenda. Modernizing Minnesota’s net metering rules is essential to ensuring all member-owners pay their fair share for the electric grid they rely on. 

Member-owners who want to lend their voice can sign up for alerts at https://voicesforcooperativepower.com/. 

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