Minnesota Legislative Session Starts Tuesday

Steam Plant Conversion Duluth's Highest Priority

The Minnesota Legislative session begins Tuesday, and area legislators will be making their way down to St. Paul. 

Duluth Legislators say that the city has several projects they’re looking to prioritize.

One specific project is the conversion of the Duluth Steam Plant.

Currently, cold water is drawn from Lake Superior and turned to Steam to heat up buildings in the city.

The proposal would recirculate the same water in a closed loop, and hot water, instead of steam, would be used to heat the buildings.

Legislators say it would be more environmentally friendly, and save money in the long run

“The steam plant is the priority one for the Duluth, but we’re also asking for matching funds for the lake superior zoo to help revitalize the zoo, and also a few other regional projects as well,” said Zack Filipovich, the President of the Duluth City Council.

But the city needs $21 million dollars in matching bonds from the state to make the steam plant conversion a reality

“We remain very optimistic and we’re going to be fighting for all of our Duluth and regional projects when we’re down at the state capitol during this short session,” said Filipovich.  

The legislative session begins at noon on Tuesday and wraps up May 23.