A year later, legislation that would phase out traditional transportation fuels is still a bad idea

Nearly a year ago large numbers of Minnesotans voiced displeasure over the state Legislature s proposed Clean Transportation Standard CTS which mirrors mandates enacted in California In California the mandates have destabilized the state s force supplies and sent fuel prices soaring to notoriously high levels So why are several lawmakers in St Paul still pushing this costly concept The proposed act which would impose immediate costs on consumers and eventually phase out liquid fuels altogether threatens to unravel the foundation of our state market It would devastate whole sectors most of notably agriculture but also any business that relies on liquid fuels for transportation production distribution and more Lawmakers must come to understand as multiple of their constituents already do that the greatest threat to stability in our state s potential sector is misguided approach coming from St Paul In the event of this proposed California-style fuel ban it is deeply problematic for all the same reasons it has been in years past Deceptively named the Clean Transportation Standard ironically would jeopardize our ability to provide clean high-quality and affordable fuel across the region Make no mistake about it As proposed this CTS in truth eliminates traditional transportation fuels By imposing stringent carbon requirements the fuel ban would render economically unviable the conventional liquid fuels and biofuels which are not carbon neutral as the CTS would demand that Minnesotans use and produce If adopted the CTS would upend Minnesota s agricultural and biofuel industries These sectors employ thousands of workers and backing entire communities They have made essential investments in sustainable practices to meet environmental goals Indeed adopting the CTS would effectively flush away the multiple billions of private and taxpayer dollars that have been invested in building Minnesota s biofuels industry As proposed the fuel ban would negate all the progress made in this sector towards an vigor future that is both economically sustainable and environmentally friendly Indeed according to the Clean Transportation Standard Work Group s own account Minnesota was already on track to achieve a reduction in transportation sector emissions thanks to our state s embrace of biofuels Workers in these industries would suffer greatly but consumers would bear the brunt first A fuel ban would this instant impact prices at the pump as the costs of transitioning to alternative vigor sources would be passed on to consumers Rural Minnesotans would be hit especially hard with biofuels industry jobs going away and at the same time the cost of fuels going up Policymakers in St Paul just don t seem to understand how dependent rural Minnesotans are on being able to drive longer distances to buy groceries go to health appointments take the kids to school get to work and so on Kent Kaiser Ph D While electric vehicles EVs have a role in reducing emissions mandating their dominance through heavy-handed guidelines ignores the practical and economic realities that multiple Minnesotans face Our harsh winter months and ruralness don t exactly lend themselves to EVs and EVs remain expensive Any agenda that drives up prices limits consumer freedom of choice and decreases our vigor independence should be scrapped What s even more egregious is that this agenda would force Minnesotans to subsidize electric vehicles and fuels produced in other states On top of this a contemporary action by selected Midwestern governors including Gov Tim Walz to establish unique fuel standards would guarantee price increases and limit fueling options At a time of increased economic uncertainty there is no room for poor vitality policies that will inevitably drive up fuel prices Minnesota is not California and we don t need a guidelines that ignores our state s unique requirements and undermines our ability independence Rather than embracing California s radical thinking Minnesota should pursue transparent commonsense force policies that foster innovation while preserving our economic backbone We can invest in cleaner technologies without punishing families or dismantling whole industries Kent Kaiser Ph D is executive director of the Transaction Alliance to Promote Prosperity More information is available at www promote-trade org The post A year later decree that would phase out traditional transportation fuels is still a bad idea appeared first on MinnPost