The Minnesota Legislature has enacted the Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act, a new law designed to expedite the state’s clean energy permitting processes. This legislation aims to eliminate redundancies and allocate funds to optimize rooftop solar permits, supporting Minnesota’s goal of achieving 100% carbon emissions-free energy by 2040.
“The Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act is an important step forward to modernize our permitting process so we can meet this critical moment and ensure projects can develop with the urgency needed to meet our goals,” said Minnesota Representative Jamie Long.
Currently, about 51% of Minnesota’s electricity is sourced from carbon-free energy. However, the state’s 50-year-old permitting process has slowed the approval of renewable projects, with solar projects initiated in 2019 taking 249 days longer to receive permits than those started in 2015. On average, the permitting process duration is 250 days for small transmission lines, 358 days for wind farms, 378 days for solar farms, and 673 days for large transmission lines.
Beth Soholt, executive director of Clean Grid Alliance, emphasized the significance of the Act, stating, “Siting and permitting is the largest roadblock to deploying renewable projects across the Midwest, and the reforms in this package ensure Minnesota’s policies demonstrate the state’s readiness to welcome the clean energy transition.”
The Act introduces clear and consistent timelines for permit reviews, eliminates delays and duplication, and mandates state agencies to identify and resolve issues early in the process. It allows Public Utilities Commission (PUC) staff to determine application completeness, bypassing the need for full Commission review. It also removes the requirement for a separate Certificate of Need proceeding for projects deemed prudent and necessary by the PUC.
Moreover, the Act consolidates separate permitting processes for renewables, storage, and small transmission into a single streamlined procedure, and integrates existing PUC permit laws and rules into a unified statute. It maintains public engagement opportunities while reducing permitting timelines.
Jake Schwitzer, executive director of North Star Policy Action, highlighted the urgency of the reforms, saying, “Our research found that we need to double the current pace of clean energy project approval if we want to meet our clean energy goals. Unfortunately, our pace is getting slower and we’re being outpaced by our regional neighbors. This legislation will cut red tape and unnecessary delays out of our permitting process and allow us to create more good jobs and Minnesota-made clean energy.”
The bill also includes a $2 million incentive for local governments to adopt SolarAPP+, a federally-developed tool for automating rooftop residential solar permits.
The Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act now awaits approval from Governor Tim Walz.
