State Sen. Nick Frentz, chair of the Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate Committee and chief author of the Minnesota law calling for 100% Clean Energy by 2040, said as much in his letter to the PUC: “To successfully pass this law, we brought together utilities, labor groups and environmental advocates who all understand the need for our state to take this transformative step in a way that will actually work for our state’s future. The inclusion of biomass, including waste-to-energy, as an eligible energy technology … was a deliberate choice. … The goal of the 100% Clean Energy law is to move us forward in our fight to mitigate the worst costs of climate change. It’s better for our climate goals to allow waste-to-energy, because the landfill alternative is worse — both from a ratepayer cost standpoint and a carbon emission reduction standpoint.”