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

The 2026 Minnesota legislative session has wrapped up at the Capitol, and there’s plenty for cooperative member-owners to know about how the session affected 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. 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. 

The study itself will examine the costs, benefits and tradeoffs 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 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 critically important to the members we serve.