MNIPL Youth Program and Outreach Assistant Makayla Freeman testified before the Minnesota Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate in support of SF4, a bill requiring 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.

Makayla urged legislators to ensure that the HERC trash-burning facility in downtown Minneapolis not be considered a renewable energy source in this bill. She stressed the HERC’s adverse health impacts that disproportionately impact North Minneapolis residents, including her.

She also called out adults who expect today’s youth to “fix” the environmental degradation they’ve inherited, saying she finds this an “irresponsible reaction.”

“When we see that we’re doing something harmful, it is imperative on all of us, of any age, to stop doing it. To find a better way,” declared Makayla.

The 100% clean electricity bill aligns with the “Climate Goals and Truth Telling” category of our 2023 Indigenous Rights and Climate Justice Platform. Join us in supporting the platform, and working to achieve real progress toward a just, sustainable, and healthier world.