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Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Police Leverage Technology and Science to Solve "who Done It" Murder on the Light Rail
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Nov. 5 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary:
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Police leverage technology and science to solve "who done it" murder on the light rail
Written by David Zimmer | November 3, 2026
The murder
During the late evening of October 3rd, Jaquan Edwards, 30, entered the light rail train at US Bank Stadium heading for St. Paul. Edwards was alone, wore a "covid mask" which hid his identity, and was carrying a concealed firearm.
A few minutes later another man
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MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Nov. 5 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary:
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Police leverage technology and science to solve "who done it" murder on the light rail
Written by David Zimmer | November 3, 2026
The murder
During the late evening of October 3rd, Jaquan Edwards, 30, entered the light rail train at US Bank Stadium heading for St. Paul. Edwards was alone, wore a "covid mask" which hid his identity, and was carrying a concealed firearm.
A few minutes later another manentered the same train car at the East Bank station and sat in a seat across from Edwards. Surveillance video indicated that the two exchanged some dialog. As the train travelled between the Stadium Village and Prospect Park stops near the University of Minnesota, Edwards pulled out a gun and fired three shots at the other man. Edwards exited at Prospect Park and walked away on University Avenue, discarding his mask along the way.
The train stopped at the Westgate stop where police arrived and located the victim. The victim was unconscious and had a gunshot to his neck. Lifesaving efforts were attempted but the man died at the scene.
The murder appeared to be a random violent act between strangers. Edwards' identity was obscured and there were no eyewitnesses mentioned in available court documents. Cases involving these elements are often referred to informally as a "whodunit."
The investigation
The Minneapolis Police Homicide Unit began working on the case immediately - always critical in solving murder cases where evidence can disappear quickly.
While reviewing surveillance video of the murder suspect's movements associated with the light rail, detectives observed him spitting voluminously onto the US Bank Stadium train platform before entering the train. Crime scene technicians located the spital at the train stop and collected samples which provided a male DNA profile.
Additional surveillance video review and "To-Go" card useage led detectives to video footage of the murder suspect riding an MTC bus in Maplewood, Mn. Detectives conducted canvassing of businesses in that area and located video of the suspect entering a HyVee grocery store and an Advance Auto Parts store. Detectives showed the surveillance video to employees and learned that the suspect was an employee of the auto parts store. Employees identified him as Jaquan Edwards.
Detectives learned that in July 2026, the White Bear Lake Police Department had stopped Edwards for a traffic infraction while he drove alone in his mother's car. During that stop, the White Bear Lake police officer noted that Edwards was smoking a wood tipped cigar. Detectives conducted a search of discarded garbage from Edward's mother's Maplewood residence and recovered six discarded wooden cigar mouthpieces. The DNA recovered from those mouthpieces matched the DNA from the spital the murder suspect had left on the light rail platform just before the murder.
It's unclear for available court records whether the gun used by Edwards has been recovered or if ballistic evidence testing has been conducted.
On October 28th, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office issued a complaint and warrant charging Edwards with one court of murder in the second degree, and asking for $1 million in bail.
Hennepin County jail records indicate the Minneapolis Police arrested Edwards on October 30th in St. Paul. Edwards made an initial court appearance on November 2nd and has an evidentiary hearing scheduled for December 1st. Edwards remains in the custody of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.
The takeaway
It wasn't too many years ago that a murder like this may have gone unsolved. The investigative tenacity in this case was excellent - and in 2026 that tenacity is often rewarded by voluminous video and electronic evidence, advances in DNA technology, and advances in ballistic comparison technology. Thankfully, because of these advances, the case against Edwards appears strong.
This outcome supports the use of video surveillance in public spaces.
The outcome also supports the need for proper police staffing. The Minneapolis Police Department remains understaffed, some six years after its own city council attempted to "dismantle" the police department. While the outcome here was positive, a police department of 600 officers cannot be expected to properly service a city the size of Minneapolis.
When the deterrent effect of a highly visible police presence is missing and investigative follow up is severely compromised because of a lack of manpower, citizens ultimately pay the price.
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David Zimmer is a Public Safety Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment. David.Zimmer@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/police-leverage-technology-and-science-to-solve-who-done-it-murder-on-the-light-rail/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Minnesotans Elect DFL Trifecta to Clean Up Mess the Last One Left
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Nov. 5 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary:
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Minnesotans elect DFL trifecta to clean up mess the last one left
Written by John Phelan | November 4, 2026
Last week, I wrote about how the DFL trifecta, elected in November 2022, blew up the state budget, turning a forecast surplus for 2027 of $2.9 billion into a deficit of $1.1 billion by the end of the 2024 session:
...in February 2023, Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) forecast a surplus of state
... Show Full Article
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Nov. 5 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary:
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Minnesotans elect DFL trifecta to clean up mess the last one left
Written by John Phelan | November 4, 2026
Last week, I wrote about how the DFL trifecta, elected in November 2022, blew up the state budget, turning a forecast surplus for 2027 of $2.9 billion into a deficit of $1.1 billion by the end of the 2024 session:
...in February 2023, Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) forecast a surplus of stategovernment revenues ("Subtotal Current Resources") over spending ("Total Expenditures & Transfers") totaling $19.7 billion in the five years 2022 to 2027, as Figure 1 shows. The "historic" DFL trifecta, elected in November 2022, used this money to go on a spending spree, blowing not only that forecast surplus but more besides. By the end of the 2024 session, while revenues were largely unchanged, spending was forecast to be $22.5 billion higher in the four years 2024 to 2027 than it had been when the trifecta took office in St. Paul and was now forecast to outstrip revenues in that period by $11.5 billion.
Figure 1: Forecast Minnesota state government spending and revenues, billions
Source: Minnesota Management & Budget and Center of the American Experiment
The trifecta sessions were a horrendously managed orgy of fiscal excess which have left Minnesota with a persistent budget deficit.
As I have written before, Minnesota's state government has been running a deficit since 2024 and, at the end of the 2026 session, was forecast to spend more than it collects in revenue in every single year from 2026 to 2029 for a cumulative deficit of $5.5 billion, as Figure 2 shows.
Figure 2: Minnesota state government spending and revenues, billions
Source: Minnesota Management & Budget and Center of the American Experiment
Yesterday, Minnesotans elected a new DFL trifecta which will be charged with cleaning up its predecessor's mess.
Early next month, MMB will release its November "Budget and Economic Forecast" which will forecast state revenues and expenditures for three bienniums, extending through June 30, 2031. By February 16, 2027, Governor Klobuchar will have to submit an operating budget for the 2028-2029 biennium, which, at the end of the 2026 session, was forecast to have a deficit of $2.1 billion. By the end of the session on May 17, the legislature will have had to pass an operating budget for the 2028-2029 biennium.
Crucially, according to Minnesota's constitution, this budget will have to balance. St. Paul is not Washington D.C., and, as governor, Klobuchar will not have the recourse to the bond markets and the Federal Reserve to finance any deficit she had as a federal legislator.
How will the new trifecta accomplish this? "Will we see higher taxes?" I asked in September:
- Will we see spending cuts? Will we see some combination of the two? These are questions Minnesota's dogged newshounds with their inexhaustible reservoirs of curiosity will, no doubt, be pestering the candidates with this vote harvesting season.
Sadly, those newshounds did not find time to ask these crucial questions. I guess we will find out the hard way.
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John Phelan is an Economist at the Center of the American Experiment. john.phelan@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/minnesotans-elect-dfl-trifecta-to-clean-up-mess-the-last-one-left/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Klobuchar, Presents No Obstacle to DSA Health Care Agenda
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Nov. 5 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary:
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Klobuchar, presents no obstacle to DSA health care agenda
Written by Matt Dean | November 4, 2026
Governor-elect Amy Klobuchar now faces a clear test from her own party's left wing on many fronts, but certainly a contender for House File One (considered the top priority) would be the current House File 1812, the Minnesota Health Plan (also called "MNCare for All" or MHP). MHP would outlaw private health
... Show Full Article
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Nov. 5 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary:
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Klobuchar, presents no obstacle to DSA health care agenda
Written by Matt Dean | November 4, 2026
Governor-elect Amy Klobuchar now faces a clear test from her own party's left wing on many fronts, but certainly a contender for House File One (considered the top priority) would be the current House File 1812, the Minnesota Health Plan (also called "MNCare for All" or MHP). MHP would outlaw private healthinsurance and replace it with a single statewide system covering every resident (here legally or otherwise) for medical, dental, vision, hearing, mental health, long-term care, and more.
Klobuchar ran on fixes to Medicare Advantage and all private health insurance, while more progressive DFLers like Peggy Flanagan ran on a complete takeover within MHP that outlaws all private health insurance, including employer-provided health insurance, Medicare Advantage, and union-provided health care.
The Minnesota Health Plan proposal has been around for several years and has survived by never having to become real. Proponents are typically the Bernie Sanders type, and in Minnesota that means Senator John Marty. Marty has carried the bill for years and is considered by many to be an earnest and good fellow, but not someone you would want to run the Mayo Clinic. Republicans and moderate Democrats have patted this idea on the head for a decade or more and kind of gotten used to having it around without causing fuss.
Except now it is getting real. The bill attracted coauthors who likely will be running the legislature soon. Thirty-five House members signed on (the maximum number), including the current and former chair of the health care committee.
With Democrats holding majorities in both chambers, progressive sponsors--more than 40 co-authors--will push it again, and they are dead serious. Klobuchar campaigned on a different approach: targeted state tax credits if federal ACA subsidies stay lapsed, expanded bulk drug purchasing, strengthened reinsurance, rural hospital support, and a crackdown on fraud. She rejected new tax increases and said she was not interested in moving Minnesota left or right. Her incremental proposals assume a competitive private market continues. HF 1812 would simply outlaw traditional health insurance.
From each according to his "ability" to each according to his "need"
Under MHP, premiums would be set by ability to pay, and eligibility would extend to all residents regardless of immigration status. The bill creates a new Minnesota Health Board, Health Fund, ombudsman, and auditor general, plus a request for a federal waiver. It stalled earlier amid budget realities and the 2025 decision to end MinnesotaCare coverage for undocumented adults.
An unelected board with taxing authority and the sole and uncontestable ability to set health care benefits is on its face unconstitutional. It would have the ability to take taxing authority away from the legislature--where our constitution demands it must stay--and somehow determine a benefit set and pricing for every person (whether documented or not) who calls Minnesota home (or decides to move here).
Under the bill, taxes would not have to be raised by the legislature; rather, "premiums" would be assessed to corporations and individuals based on the cost to deliver the "necessary" care. This would cost in the billions of dollars.
But being unconstitutional is a matter for judges to decide. If you think cooler heads might prevail before such a bill is signed, think again. The Democrats ascendant believe they lost the last trifecta by not going far enough. Many point to Walz caving on free health care for the undocumented as the low point of their careers.
DFL Floor Leader Jamie Long said of the compromise removing adult undocumented aliens from MNCare, "This bill is cruel. It is inhumane. And it will cost real human, Minnesotan lives." When the deal was announced in the Capitol's reception room, outraged DFL members literally banged on the doors chanting "Don't kill immigrants!" and "Don't kill our neighbors."
The cost of MHP is unknown. The 2023 legislature commissioned a $3 million cost estimate that was to be released nine months ago but has yet to see the light of day. You can imagine why. The trillions such a plan would incur nationally has prevented other states from moving ahead on their own. Such a plan would not only cost billions for Minnesota, it would require the Trump administration to approve it. Hopefully no such approval would come, but it would present the administration with a tantalizing "watch out what you ask for" opportunity for Minnesota.
If MHP costs too much, or creates problems with the cash flow, perhaps HF2 will smooth over the rough patches. With DFL majorities restored in both chambers after the November 3, 2026 election--ending two years of split or tied House control--a new fifth-tier income tax is far more viable in the 2027 session. HF 4845, would set a new fifth-tier 10.85% top rate. While Gov.-elect Amy Klobuchar has not proposed broad new tax increases, DFL legislative control makes a targeted fifth-tier proposal substantially more likely than in 2026.
Klobuchar's Obamacare vote a prologue?
In her early years in the Senate, Klobuchar was unwilling to push hard against the liberal wing of her party even when it meant sour impacts at home. While others held their vote for Obamacare until sweeteners were added or provisions removed, Klobuchar voted yes and then worked to lessen the harmful effects of her vote at home.
After seeing the election results of last night, DFL legislators who are DSA, POCI caucus, and even most rank-and-file Democrats may find no resistance from Klobuchar should they want to enact even the most radical legislation. A new 5th top tier of 14% would be higher than any other state in the country and would go a long way in paying for MHP, or a growing DFL wish list. It would pass in a heartbeat.
For Additional Information, please see:
[View text in the link at bottom]
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Matt Dean is a Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment. att.dean@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/gov-elect-klobuchar-already-on-collision-course-with-dfl-legislature/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: $3.5 Billion Light Rail Project Gets Golden Turkey Nod
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Nov. 5 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary:
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$3.5 billion light rail project gets Golden Turkey nod
Written by Bill Walsh | November 3, 2026
Transit boondoggles have a strong record in Golden Turkey voting and this year the committee nominated another contender, the Blue Line Extension light rail project, which will now cost a whopping $3.58 billion according to new estimates from the Metropolitan Council.
For context, we put the Southwest Light
... Show Full Article
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Nov. 5 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary:
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$3.5 billion light rail project gets Golden Turkey nod
Written by Bill Walsh | November 3, 2026
Transit boondoggles have a strong record in Golden Turkey voting and this year the committee nominated another contender, the Blue Line Extension light rail project, which will now cost a whopping $3.58 billion according to new estimates from the Metropolitan Council.
For context, we put the Southwest LightRail Transit project in the Golden Turkey Hall of Fame for spending a measly $2.86 billion. The Blue Line Extension (originally called the Bottineau LRT) is a planned 13-mile light rail project in Minnesota designed to connect downtown Minneapolis (Target Field Station) to the northwest suburbs of Brooklyn Park, passing through North Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, and Crystal.
There was a key moment in the development of the Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) project where engineering problems and cost overruns should have caused state and local leaders to pause and reevaluate whether to proceed. Unfortunately, they stubbornly forged ahead, and it became the biggest boondoggle in Minnesota history. The SWLRT is finally scheduled to open next summer, ten years late and one billion dollars over budget.
The Blue Line began the same way all transit projects do, with a small grant years ago to open an office and sketch out a possible route. Once we start spending on Minnesota transit projects, they quickly enter the sunk-cost fallacy. "We've already spent millions, we can't stop now!" With the Met Council recently updating the cost to $3.58 billion, (from its original $1.5 billion), the time to pause is now. Therefore our 2026 Golden Turkey Award nomination for the Blue Line Extension has two purposes. First, to point out the folly of building another light rail train that nobody will ride. And second, to put pressure on local and state leaders to terminate the project before construction begins and it joins its cousin in the Hall of Fame. Now is the time!
Minnesota House Transportation Chairman Rep. Jon Koznick agrees and issued a press release this summer when the new cost estimate came out.
"I am not at all surprised to see that the cost of the Blue Line Extension project is continuing to skyrocket out of control. It started at $1.5 billion. Out-of-control costs have been the case with previous light rail projects. For example, the Green Line Extension out to Eden Prairie went severely over budget and is not even fully operational today.
We need to scrap this next boondoggle Blue Line Extension project now, before more tax dollars are wasted! At a time of increased property taxes, to pursue the Blue Line Train is an abuse of taxpayers."
The Blue Line has been unpopular from the start. The original plan was to partner with the BNSF Railroad and run the line along their freight tracks through Crystal, Robbinsdale and Golden Valley. But the railroad said no, sending the Met Council back to the drawing board. The new route was announced in 2022 shifting the alignment onto local streets --specifically County Road 81 in Crystal and Robbinsdale, and West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis.
Some of the cost increases are paying for the latest trend in transit projects known as cultural placekeeping. Each station will have its own cultural placekeeping theme where a local artist will work to "reflect the identities, stories, and values of the neighborhoods the Blue Line Extension will serve." If the Blue Line Extension wins the 2026 Golden Turkey Award, that would qualify as culture, right? Maybe one of the art panels can depict our mascot.
Voting begins Thursday!
Bill Walsh is the Vice President of Communications at Center of the American Experiment. bill.walsh@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/3-5-billion-light-rail-project-gets-golden-turkey-nod/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Progressive Policy Institute: Midterm Rout Shows Trump's Spell Is Broken
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Progressive Policy Institute posted the following news release:
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Midterm Rout Shows Trump's Spell Is Broken
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WASHINGTON (November 4, 2026) -- Will Marshall, president and founder of the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), released the following statement on the results of Tuesday's midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both the House and Senate and flipped Senate seats in Republican strongholds including Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kansas:
"Tuesday's Democratic rout marks a turning point. President Donald Trump
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Progressive Policy Institute posted the following news release:
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Midterm Rout Shows Trump's Spell Is Broken
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WASHINGTON (November 4, 2026) -- Will Marshall, president and founder of the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), released the following statement on the results of Tuesday's midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both the House and Senate and flipped Senate seats in Republican strongholds including Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kansas:
"Tuesday's Democratic rout marks a turning point. President Donald Trumpisn't going anywhere, but his spell is broken. This is an accountability moment, and it's one he can't gaslight his way out of.
"Midterms are a verdict on the president's performance, and Trump created the conditions for this one himself. His tariffs and his attack on Iran pushed up living costs in the third straight national election dominated by inflation. His handpicked candidates, from Ken Paxton in Texas to Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio, set Republicans up for a fall. Even his mid-decade gerrymanders posed no barrier to the blue wave. Many of his own 2024 voters, especially Hispanic and young voters, turned against him.
"But Democrats shouldn't mistake a thermostatic reaction against Trump for a mandate for the left. Left-wing radicalism isn't the antidote to right-wing nationalism. A broad coalition that can win and sustain majorities is. Democrats should take their cue from the candidates who just won on the toughest terrain in American politics, and make extending these gains deep into the red zone their mission for 2028."
Founded in 1989, PPI is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Find an expert and learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org. Follow us at @ppi.
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Original text here: https://www.progressivepolicy.org/midterm-rout-shows-trumps-spell-is-broken/
Goldwater Institute Makes the Case for Restoring Civics Education at Texas Forum
PHOENIX, Arizona, Nov. 4 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Goldwater Institute posted the following news:
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Goldwater Makes the Case for Restoring Civics Education at Texas Forum
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Americans cannot defend a system of government they do not understand. Restoring civic education means teaching the next generation not only how our institutions work, but why our founding principles still matter and how previous generations fought to secure the freedom we enjoy today.
That challenge brought the Goldwater Institute and the Texas Public Policy Foundation together in Austin recently for "Restoring
... Show Full Article
PHOENIX, Arizona, Nov. 4 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Goldwater Institute posted the following news:
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Goldwater Makes the Case for Restoring Civics Education at Texas Forum
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Americans cannot defend a system of government they do not understand. Restoring civic education means teaching the next generation not only how our institutions work, but why our founding principles still matter and how previous generations fought to secure the freedom we enjoy today.
That challenge brought the Goldwater Institute and the Texas Public Policy Foundation together in Austin recently for "RestoringCivics Education in America's Classrooms." Held in partnership with the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, the discussion featured Goldwater Vice President for Legal Affairs Timothy Sandefur, University of Texas at Austin School of Civic Leadership Professor Andrew Lang, and TPPF Higher Education Policy Director Tom Lindsay.
Parents, educators, and students recognize that something has gone wrong with civic education. Too many students leave school without understanding what freedom means or how America's system of government protects it. Recognizing that failure is only a start. Schools must teach the principles and history that explain what it means to be American and why the American experiment is worth preserving.
Sandefur emphasized that the American Revolution and the Civil War are essential to that understanding. The struggle for American liberty is a dramatic story of people asserting their rights, confronting injustice, and working to make the nation live up to its founding promises. Americans have done heroic things to secure and extend that freedom, and we owe the next generation an education that teaches those achievements. Teaching that history honestly means confronting slavery and other failures to live up to our ideals while honoring the courage and principles that made it possible to overcome them.
Preserving liberty also requires understanding the limits of government. Sandefur argued that when government controls more of people's lives, elections carry higher stakes and political disagreements become harder to contain. Limited government leaves people more room to live alongside neighbors whose opinions they do not share. Civic education should help students understand how individual freedom allows people to disagree without threatening one another's way of life.
University of Texas Professor Andrew Lang noted that those principles belong to every American. He pointed to Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Both viewed the founding documents as instruments of liberty. The Declaration of Independence's promise of equal rights gave Americans a standard by which to judge their government and demand that it honors those rights. Lang explained that one goal of the new civic center movement is to help students understand that they have both a claim on that inheritance and a responsibility to sustain it.
That work begins with shared civic knowledge, TPPF's Tom Lindsay explained. Americans cannot defend principles they do not understand, and teachers need a firm grounding in American history and government to teach those principles effectively. Restoring civic literacy requires educators who know the founding documents, understand the principles behind them, and can explain why they matter.
Lindsay pointed to the General Education Act, model legislation that would restore a common foundation in American history, government, and Western civilization in Texas. The proposal would establish an independent School of General Education with authority to hire qualified professors and oversee the courses entrusted to it, without other departments blocking its faculty appointments. Its purpose is to give students the knowledge and intellectual freedom they need to examine competing ideas, reach their own conclusions, and participate in self-government.
All three speakers agreed that higher education, especially at public universities, has a responsibility that goes beyond preparing students for a bigger paycheck. These institutions should prepare citizens to know their rights, understand the limits of government power, and sustain a free society long into the future. That's the real return on investment that should come with a college education.
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And Goldwater is unique in that we direct our efforts to the 50 states where we introduce and advance innovative ideas that expand freedom. And we fight in courtrooms and capitals nationwide to defend individual liberty.
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Original text here: https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/to-preserve-american-liberty-teach-the-next-generation-why-it-matters/
Congress and states get a mandate to tackle affordability by deploying clean energy
BOSTON, Massachusetts, Nov. 4 [Category: ThinkTank] -- Ceres, a non-profit organization that is mobilizing companies and investors to take stronger action on climate change, water scarcity and global sustainability challenges, posted the following news release:
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Congress and states get a mandate to tackle affordability by deploying clean energy
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Join our free webinar The Post-Election Playbook: Opportunities to Advance Clean Economy Policy on Thursday, November 12 at 4PM ET. Ceres experts will deep dive into the election results and what they mean for the private sector. This webinar
... Show Full Article
BOSTON, Massachusetts, Nov. 4 [Category: ThinkTank] -- Ceres, a non-profit organization that is mobilizing companies and investors to take stronger action on climate change, water scarcity and global sustainability challenges, posted the following news release:
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Congress and states get a mandate to tackle affordability by deploying clean energy
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Join our free webinar The Post-Election Playbook: Opportunities to Advance Clean Economy Policy on Thursday, November 12 at 4PM ET. Ceres experts will deep dive into the election results and what they mean for the private sector. This webinaris free and open to the press. Register here.
BOSTON -- The U.S. election results show decisive support for clean, affordable energy, as voters elected leaders nationwide committed to lowering energy costs and meeting rising demand with clean solutions.
Ceres urges the incoming Congress to refocus federal policy on reducing costs for businesses and consumers by modernizing the power grid, doubling down on clean manufacturing, and deploying affordable, homegrown wind, solar, batteries, and efficiency solutions. New state policymakers also have opportunities to strengthen successful clean energy policies to build modern, more affordable, and more reliable energy systems.
"Energy was a top issue this election season, and voters delivered a clear mandate for Congress to bring electricity prices down by deploying clean, affordable power." said Ceres CEO and President Mindy Lubber. "They can begin this year by passing the Senate's bipartisan permitting deal, which includes strong provisions to ease transmission development and ensure permit certainty for urgently needed clean energy projects. But lawmakers must also work together to develop the next generation of clean energy and pollution reduction policies, which will insulate American businesses and consumers from volatile prices and geopolitical conflict. The future of the American economy depends on it."
Ceres and its Policy Network, along with other corporate and investor leaders from across the economy, will engage leaders on Capitol Hill to fine tune the next round of clean energy and grid modernization policies to bring down energy prices and to ensure they are enacted at the next available opportunity. Our federal priorities for the end of 2026 and the new Congress starting next year include:
* Passing the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act before the end of 2026. Enacting this strong bipartisan deal this year would allow lawmakers to use 2027 and 2028 to ensure robust implementation and work on the next round of policies to bring down prices by deploying affordable, homegrown clean energy. Ceres and our Policy Network will continue to support this effort and advocate on Capitol Hill through the end of the year, and we will work with policymakers to address some of the concerns raised across the environmental community.
* Restoring targeted clean energy incentives to address high prices and rising electricity demand from data centers. The new majority in Congress has an opportunity to take lessons from the past few years to shape new, long-term solutions that ensure America has durable clean energy and climate policy that reduces costs for years to come.
* Expanding home efficiency programs and distributed energy resources. Lawmakers should look to data centers to pay for home energy upgrades for consumers and programs to modernize the grid and deploy smart appliances and rooftop solar.
* Addressing the growing bipartisan call to protect the freedom to invest. Lawmakers should bring legislation to the floor of both chambers addressing both state laws that limit investor voices and the SEC's continued rollback of shareholder rights. Ceres and our Freedom to Invest initiative will continue to educate state and federal lawmakers on the importance of both issues.
* Building a more resilient economy. Lawmakers must use this opportunity to reduce climate pollution and secure supply chains for the future by accelerating both manufacturing and deployment of cost-saving clean solutions.
Ceres and major businesses will also encourage new governors and state legislators to continue strong efforts around the country to deploy clean energy and address rising prices.
"In the states, the work to tackle energy affordability has already begun. Now, it's time to double down," said Lubber. "States like Virginia, Illinois, Arizona, and California have strong proposals on the table to tackle energy affordability right now, and Ceres will be working across the country to educate a new slate of governors and state legislators on why these policies matter and how they should be implemented. The business perspective is uniquely valuable in the states at this decisive moment. This election is an opportunity to work together to build a cleaner, more resilient economy."
In 2026, more than two dozen major companies working with Ceres called on state policymakers around the country to tackle rising energy prices by optimizing the power grid, accelerating clean power deployment, and expanding energy efficiency programs. Ceres led business advocacy efforts to educate governors and state legislators on many of these priorities. They are laid out in more detail in Powering Affordability: A Business-Backed Playbook for a Modern Clean Energy System.
Working together with businesses and investors, the election results present an opportunity to educate a new slate of state policymakers on these priorities -- and on the benefits of strong state clean energy policies already in place.
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Original text here: https://www.ceres.org/resources/news/congress-and-states-get-a-mandate-to-tackle-affordability-by-deploying-clean-energy
