“It may have taken a year, but I’m glad that the Army Corps took my advice and agreed to fast-track the Line 5 tunnel project,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “It’s moves like this that prove how impactful strong leadership can be. I’m sure the Army Corps saw my letter, but they listened because the administration recognizes the importance of the pipeline and is fighting to keep it open.”

“In the 10 years before recent renewable energy laws went into effect, the U.P. was already leading in clean energy by decommissioning coal power plants ahead of the rest of the state. We lowered our CO2 emissions by more than 70% because we built the RICE units,” Prestin said during committee testimony. “There is nothing worse for the environment than energy poverty. If the U.P. is forced to close our RICE generators early, that’s exactly where we’re headed. It will force our largest employers, who depend on affordable and reliable electricity, to leave the U.P. entirely. We’ll lose thousands of good paying jobs, and we’ll lose thousands of residents over the border to Wisconsin.”