Transcript Highlights:

• I know at Harwood, too, they're looking at using ethanol fuel cells to provide backup electricity, and
• they're going to build a greenhouse, use the CO2 from the ethanol product, or... ...greenhouse uses
• CO2 from the ethanol generation for their greenhouse, and they're also going to produce fertilizer at

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know at Harwood, too, they're looking at using ethanol fuel cells to provide backup electricity, and
• they're going to build a greenhouse, use the CO2 from the ethanol product, or... ...greenhouse uses
• CO2 from the ethanol generation for their greenhouse, and they're also going to produce fertilizer at

Summary: The committee met in Grand Forks, approved the February 26 minutes by voice vote, and recessed for a tour of Minnkota Power Cooperative before hearing presentations on large energy consumers and related infrastructure issues. The first presentation, from the North Dakota Transmission Authority, focused on the need for better local decision-making tools for counties, townships, and planning and zoning boards facing major projects such as transmission lines, pipelines, data centers, wind, solar, and large-scale agriculture. The speaker urged more objective, data-driven analysis, noted that local officials often have limited time and resources, and said the state should support training and tools through groups like the League of Cities and the Association of Counties. Members asked about proactive outreach, data center ordinances, and how to avoid subsidizing large loads or causing reliability problems. The Division of Air Quality then discussed environmental oversight of data centers, emphasizing that North Dakota’s air remains among the cleanest in the country and that the agency’s role is limited to air, water discharge, stormwater, and waste—not zoning or water use. The presentation explained that data centers generally have low direct emissions but may rely on diesel backup generators when the grid is unavailable, which creates air-quality concerns; the department said it is requiring air monitors at some projects to collect real-world data and guide future decisions. Members asked about generator emissions, misinformation, monitoring costs, and staffing succession, and the agency said permit applicants pay for the monitors while the state handles some QA work. The Department of Water Resources followed with an overview of North Dakota water law and data center water use. The director explained the state’s prior-appropriation system, the public-interest review for permits, and the large overall water supply available from groundwater and the Missouri River. He said most proposed data centers use closed-loop cooling systems and generally request relatively small amounts of water compared with other uses such as power plants, irrigation, and oilfield operations, and that even a worst-case data center scenario would use only a tiny fraction of Missouri River flow. Questions focused on downstream impacts and comparisons to fracking water use, and the director said the state’s use is too small to materially affect downstream users. Later, McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd-Erickson testified online about data center zoning and permitting. He asked the committee to have Legislative Council gather information on how other states handle data center permitting and to keep the topic on the interim agenda. He argued that local zoning should remain local, but said counties lack the technical and legal resources to manage complex reclamation or bonding requirements and that state-level enabling legislation may be more appropriate. He also recommended eliminating tax incentives for data centers. The committee chair said staff would prepare a document on other states’ zoning and permitting approaches. After a lunch recess, the committee reconvened at the EERC, where CEO Charles Gorecki gave an overview of the center’s 75 years of work and its role in oil and gas, carbon management, and other energy technologies, highlighting enhanced oil recovery and carbon dioxide utilization as major opportunities for future production and tax revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know at Harwood, too, they're looking at using ethanol fuel cells to provide backup electricity, and
• they're going to build a greenhouse, use the CO2 from the ethanol product, or... ...greenhouse uses
• CO2 from the ethanol generation for their greenhouse, and they're also going to produce fertilizer at

Summary: The committee met in Grand Forks, approved the February 26 minutes by voice vote, and recessed for a tour of the Mincota Power Cooperative headquarters before returning for presentations on large energy consumers, especially data centers. The first presentations focused on how North Dakota should respond to rapid growth in energy-intensive projects, with speakers emphasizing the need for reliable transmission, local decision-making tools, and factual information for county and township officials who are being asked to weigh major projects with limited staff and technical support. The North Dakota Transmission Authority director said local governments are being asked to make high-impact decisions on pipelines, transmission lines, large agriculture, wind, solar, carbon dioxide pipelines, direct-air capture, and data centers, and urged development of simple statewide decision tools and support from the League of Cities and Association of Counties. The Department of Environmental Quality’s air division director said North Dakota’s air remains among the cleanest in the nation, but large data centers can create air-quality concerns because of diesel backup generation; he said the department is requiring air monitors at some facilities and expects grid power and, potentially, cleaner natural gas backup to reduce emissions. Members asked about emissions standards, misinformation, monitoring costs, and staffing succession at DEQ. The Department of Water Resources director said North Dakota’s water law is based on common ownership and prior appropriation, and that data centers generally use relatively small amounts of water, often in closed-loop systems. He said the Missouri River and groundwater supplies are ample for projected needs, that the department’s permitting process protects senior water rights, and that even a worst-case data center scenario would use a very small share of Missouri River flow. Members asked about downstream impacts and compared data center water use with fracking. Later, McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd Erickson urged the committee to study how other states regulate data centers, warned against litigation-driven delays and overly broad local ordinances, argued reclamation bonding should be handled at the state level if at all, and said data centers can bring jobs and tax base but should remain subject to local zoning. The committee ended the morning session for lunch and later heard an EERC update from CEO Charles Gorecki on the center’s 75 years of work in energy and environmental technologies, especially oil and gas development and related research.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many ethanol biorefineries have also begun producing an additional co-product called corn kernel fiber
• ethanol, which is fermented from the non-edible fiber in the corn kernel rather than the sugars and
• He explained that corn kernel fiber ethanol is fermented from the non-edible fiber in the corn kernel

Bills: HF858, HF2577, HF2576

Keywords: bioincentive payments, agriculture, job creation, environmental compliance, financial reporting, waste handling, sewage sludge, PFAS regulation, environment, record retention, fertilizer disposal, pesticide disposal, environmental impact, safety regulations, burning prohibition, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Your organization was often critical of biofuels, including ethanol.
• I wanted to start out by just raising the issue of ethanol and sugar.
• You know, ethanol is homegrown.

Transcript Highlights:

• presidential contenders and presidents and U.S. senators and others who want to be president talk about ethanol
• SENATORS AND OTHERS WHO WANT TO BE PRESIDENT TALK ABOUT ETHANOL, IS BECAUSE IOWA IS AT THE FRONT AND

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate met briefly, approved the prior journal, and then took up a Rules Committee report that advanced a large package of bills, mostly Election Law measures, along with several bills in other subject areas. The chamber then moved through a supplemental and controversial calendar focused primarily on election administration, campaign finance, and voter access. Senators also announced committee meetings and later filed majority committee assignments in the journal. On the supplemental calendar, the Senate passed several Election Law bills. One measure by Senator Gianaris aimed to curb foreign influence in New York elections by restricting foreign-influenced corporations; Senator Walczyk argued it was too narrow and ignored dark money, while Senator Gianaris said it was needed to address foreign meddling. Senator May’s bill creating short-term early voting sites passed after debate over whether pop-up sites would confuse voters or improve access, especially in rural areas; supporters said it would help bring voting closer to where people are, while opponents called it costly and confusing. Senator Myrie’s bill establishing standardized training for elections commissioners also passed, with supporters citing the need for uniform training and opponents calling it an unfunded mandate. On the controversial calendar, the Senate passed Senator Myrie’s bill allowing additional early voting locations and clarifying that a voter’s intent can determine residency for voting purposes, including in some cases a second or vacation home. The most debated measure was Senator Gonzalez’s bill creating civil remedies and confidentiality protections for election officers who are threatened or intimidated; supporters said it responds to rising threats against election workers, while opponents warned it could chill legitimate questioning at polling places and create vague liability. Several senators explained their votes on both sides, and the bill passed despite significant opposition. The Senate then adjourned until Tuesday, January 14 at 11:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• AMELIA I'LL AND HEARD FROM BOTH SIDES WHO EXPRESSED THEIR OPPOSITION TO THE POTENTIAL HER FEAR OF ETHANOL
• I THINK WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS BE ABLE TO FIND ETHANOL PRODUCTION AND HOW IT TAKES PLACE AND HOW IT

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The most prominent example in my district is ethanol, which is something that the government does to
• So I support the ethanol program that this country has, and in the same way I do like incentives.
• The most prominent example in my district is ethanol, which is something that the government does to
• So I support the ethanol program that this country has, and in the same way I do like incentives.
• So I support the ethanol program that this country has, and in the same way I do like incentives.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, things like sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, ethanol mandates, things like that are all
• So, things like sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, ethanol mandates, things like that are all
• <00:58:28.559> plants<00:58:28.720> and<00:58:28.799> bodies with our ethanol
• plants and bodies with our ethanol plants and bodies plants<00:58:29.599> and<00:58:29.920>
• Ethanol is a really good example.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:18 University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics Presentation 00:02:18 Farm Credit Mid-America Presentation 01:12:41, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You still have your ethanol-type blends; that's still available.

Transcript Highlights:

• Republicans promised to bring a bill to the floor that would allow a higher blend of ethanol and gasoline
• allow a higher the floor that would allow a higher blend<02:22:18.960> of<02:22:19.120> ethanol
• and<02:22:19.840> gasoline,<02:22:20.560> known<02:22:20.720> as blend of ethanol
• and gasoline, known as blend of ethanol and gasoline, known as E15,<02:22:21.600> to<02:22:21.840

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We do provide ethanol subsidies and requirements of blend where appropriate.
• We do provide<01:12:57.800> ethanol<01:12:58.200> subsidies<01:12:58.800> and provide
• ethanol subsidies and provide ethanol subsidies and requirements<01:12:59.400> of<01:12:59.520

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• newer members, the state of Minnesota invested heavily in producer payments that helped start the ethanol
• that helped heavily in producer payments that helped start<00:16:15.360> the<00:16:15.519> ethanol
• industry<00:16:16.399> in<00:16:16.560> the<00:16:16.800> 90s start the ethanol
• industry in the 90s start the ethanol industry in the 90s and<00:16:17.279> early<00:16:17.600

Bills: HF3580, HF3566

Keywords: agriculture, livestock, depredation, crop damage, wolf compensation, elk damage, state funding, agricultural protection, trespass, criminal penalties, farm equipment, agricultural land, 1183, house

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from the previous meeting and then heard from Minnesota FFA officers, who described FFA as a student-led agricultural education organization focused on leadership, personal growth, and career success. The students explained the three-part model of agricultural education, the size and reach of FFA in Minnesota, and upcoming events at the Capitol, including an agricultural policy experience conference and FFA Day at the Capitol. Members asked about FFA’s role in encouraging the next generation of farmers, the organization’s broader focus beyond farming to include wildlife and other natural resources careers, and the mix of rural, metro, and urban chapters. The students emphasized that FFA and agricultural educators help students discover career paths and that urban chapters are active and thriving alongside rural ones. The committee then received a presentation from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on the Agri program. The department described Agri as a legislature-created program that uses producer-payment funds to support roughly 15 grant and cost-share programs, including newer efforts such as Protect and Prepare. Testimony stressed transparency and fraud prevention: Agri is reimbursement-based, requires detailed documentation, conducts site visits on grants over $25,000, and has identified and stopped more than a dozen fraudulent applications in the past year. The department also noted a prior legislative auditor review of two larger Agri programs and said only about one-tenth of 1% of reviewed expenditures were recommended for recovery. The department highlighted the Make It Minnesota cost-share program, which helps Minnesota food and agriculture companies attend national trade shows such as Natural Products Expo West. Testifiers then described how Agri has supported their businesses: Mark Schiller of Lon Liquor in Northfield said the program helped his microdistillery expand into milling organic flour and adding food service, while Pete Gangler of Snowpack Foods in Caledonia said Agri grants supported food safety improvements, processing capacity, and a new freezer warehouse project. The department said additional grantees would testify as well, and members asked whether the department’s fraud-prevention practices could be shared with other state agencies; staff said they already are being shared through interagency best-practice efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 454, requiring retailers of fuel blends with 15% ethanol also offer fuel blends with 10% or lower
• ethanol content.
• also offer fuel blends with 15% ethanol also offer fuel blends with 10%<01:06:43.920> or<01:06
• :44.240> lower<01:06:44.880> ethanol<01:06:45.520> content.
• Um the I 10% or lower ethanol content.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee began by discussing 15 retained bills and the chair’s preference to keep them alive through interim study rather than kill them, using them as vehicles for further discussion and possible later amendments. The chair said the bills would be executed out by November and then move to the House floor in January, and members generally agreed that interim study was the prevailing motion for the retained bills. Several health-related bills were then discussed. On Senate Bill 247, concerning pharmacy network exclusion when PBM reimbursement is below acquisition cost, members said the issue had been presented differently in prior discussions and noted unfamiliar intermediaries such as PSAOs; the bill was viewed as too complex to resolve immediately, so interim study was favored. A bill on treatment alternatives to opiates was said to need an amendment from the Insurance Department, and a bill on self-funded employer access to claims data was described as having changed substantially through amendment; the sponsor explained it was intended to incentivize self-funded plans to opt into the state’s all-payer claims database (CHIS) so their data could be used for cost analysis, and members indicated a separate bill would be brought later. The committee spent the most time on a glucose monitoring bill, with testimony from a sponsor and a parent of a type 1 diabetic describing the medical benefits of continuous glucose monitors, especially for preventing dangerous lows and managing fluctuations. Opponents and committee members raised concerns about the cost of a mandate, the effect on premiums in the individual and small-group markets, and whether the bill should require coverage without a prescription; one member cited medical literature suggesting limited evidence for non-insulin users. The chair concluded the bill was headed to interim study and said the committee would do further homework on the economic impact, especially for type 1 coverage. The meeting then moved on to a bill about insurer audits and clawbacks, where the Insurance Department commissioner explained that the issue involved several separate provider-payment problems that had recently come to the department’s attention and that the department would provide a report and work with the sponsor on next steps.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, who would have thought that we'd... ...know, who would have thought that we'd be pumping ethanol

Bills: SB274

Keywords: cannabis, psychoactive cannabinoids, CBD, delta-8 THC, delta-9 THC, delta-10 THC, criminal penalties, youth protection, medical cannabis, 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2006, I was elected a township supervisor, and a few weeks later found that an ethanol plant had been
• A year later, when we decided to take back planning and zoning, the ethanol plant sued us, and we immediately
• Planning and back Planning and Zoning<01:35:47.320> um<01:35:48.320> the<01:35:48.480> ethanol
• plant<01:35:49.320> sued<01:35:49.760> us<01:35:50.600> and Zoning um the ethanol
• plant sued us and Zoning um the ethanol plant sued us and uh<01:35:51.159> we<01:35:51.360>

Bills: HF25, HF1, HF428

Keywords: pregnancy support, women's health, maternity homes, nonprofit organizations, grant funding, abortion, family services, Office of Inspector General, inspector general, legislative audit, fraud prevention, waste and abuse, public funds, grant oversight, state grants, grant management, whistleblower protection, retaliation, subpoena power, data practices

Transcript Highlights:

• It absolutely because you know it's one thing and I'm not going to, you know, putting ethanol at every
• > every<00:04:34.080> gas<00:04:34.320> pump<00:04:34.639> is putting ethanol
• at every gas pump is putting ethanol at every gas pump is whatever<00:04:36.400> but<00:04:36.800
• And I said that and I apologize to people who like ethanol, but it was just, it is what it is.
• <02:09:21.360> at don't know $40 million of of ethanol at don't know $40 million of of ethanol

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• grows naturally in New Hampshire and across the globe and is far less addictive or dangerous than ethanol
• grows naturally in New Hampshire and across the globe and is far less addictive or dangerous than ethanol
• grows naturally in New Hampshire and across the globe and is far less addictive or dangerous than ethanol
• grows naturally in New Hampshire and across the globe and is far less addictive or dangerous than ethanol
• grows naturally in New Hampshire and across the globe and is far less addictive or dangerous than ethanol

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Me on delivery of government efficiency, HB 405 by Hayes, relating to fees on grants for fuel, ethanol

Transcript Highlights:

• Warner, and I serve as the executive director of the Minnesota Biofuels Association, which represents ethanol
• It will allow ethanol plants to achieve better environmental outcomes by helping them more quickly adopt
• Direction<01:27:00.159> it<01:27:00.280> will<01:27:00.480> allow<01:27:00.800> ethanol
• <01:27:01.239> plants Direction it will allow ethanol plants Direction it will allow ethanol

Keywords: 1183, house