Senate Bill SF No 434, introduced by Senators Mathews and Lucero, aims to repeal Section 216B.246 of the Minnesota Statutes from 2024. This particular section deals with the rights of incumbent electric transmission owners. Currently, these owners — defined as public utilities, cooperatives, municipal agencies, and other entities that maintain high-voltage transmission lines in Minnesota — have exclusive rights to construct, own, and maintain any approved transmission lines that connect to their existing facilities.

The specific provisions being repealed give these incumbent owners a sort of first right of refusal to construct and maintain federally approved transmission lines within Minnesota, requiring them to notify the state commission if they intend to build the line or if they choose not to. If they decide against building, the commission then evaluates other potential builders based on factors like cost efficiency and reliability.

By repealing this statute, the bill seeks to eliminate these exclusive rights, potentially opening up the process to more competition or different structures for the development, ownership, and maintenance of vital transmission infrastructure in Minnesota.