Farmers in some parts of Minnesota are having problems getting propane to dry their crops after a wet harvest season — and that’s galvanized Republican opposition to the “Green New Deal” that Democrats are pushing at the Minnesota Legislature. State Senator Torrey Westrom from Elbow Lake warns it would restrict building more infrastructure for propane and other fossil fuels — worsening farmers’ problems. “Elevators need to dry their crops that are coming in from the fields. It has to be done now — not in a month, not in six months,” Westrom says.
Backers of the “Green New Deal” say the state must move away from fossil fuels as the effects of climate change become more obvious.
State lawmakers were in Clearwater Thursday and are in Crookston today, getting input from farmers and others on ag-related issues. The committee will also tour American Crystal Sugar’s factory in Crookston.