Tim Pawlenty ​‘testifies’ for renewable energy

A bill in the Minnesota legislature would repeal portions of a 2007 state law that restrict the construction of new coal power plants as well as the import of coal-fired electricity in other states.

That law, the Next Generation Energy Act of 2007, passed with bipartisan support and was championed by then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

So what would Pawlenty have to say about efforts to gut this landmark legislation?

State Rep. Joe Atkins, a Democrat who represents a suburban district south of St. Paul, decided to find out. He sent a letter to Pawlenty, asking him to come to the Capitol to testify Wednesday against the bill, HF 72, that would remove the coal restriction.

Pawlenty, who is mounting a PR push ahead of a possible presidential run, declined. So Atkins showed this video to the House Commerce Committee instead:

To be fair, the person in the video is the ​“old” Tim Pawlenty. The former governor has since made a complete 180 on climate and energy issues, earning a ​“Full Flop” rating from PolitiFact.

Pawlenty told conservative bloggers last month that his support for cap and trade was ​“stupid,” and acknowledged that ​“almost everybody who’s running has a similar problem” in that they were once realists on climate change and had to backtrack quickly when that position became politically toxic among conservatives.

What a difference a couple of years makes.

(h/​t: Ethan Fawley)