What really brings Minnesotans together? Fried food on sticks. Working together to solve big problems. While CURE doesn’t excel at culinary delights on sticks, we are leading the way, tackling some of the biggest problems facing Minnesotans to create a better tomorrow for everyone —and we didn’t take the summer off from this fight. CO2 […]
The Great Minnesota Get Together Read More »
This week, the Minnesota-based organization CURE formally petitioned the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to halt their review of Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed CO2 pipeline in Otter Tail and Wilkin Counties. CURE’s request comes in response to North Dakota’s recent denial of Summit’s permit application in that state. In their filing, CURE contends that without
CURE to MN PUC: Halt review of CO2 “pipeline to nowhere” Read More »
TL;DR: CURE continues to pursue democracy-driven solutions to solve big problems—because the places we love the most and call home aren’t somewhere over the rainbow; they are right here. But—because you did take the time to open this jam-packed blog—stick with us for the next 4 minutes and learn more about historic rural clean energy
Somewhere over the rainbow Read More »
Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), there has been growing excitement in rural communities and rural electric cooperative offices around the country about the historic investments in rural electrification contained in the IRA. Specifically, the Empowering Rural America Program (New ERA) and the Powering Affordable Clean Energy Program (PACE) will help leverage
New ERA funding cuts threaten future of Rural America Read More »
The Minnesota legislative session that began in January and ended May 22 is historic and transformative – a session that enacted game-changing investments and policies to benefit the people and families of Minnesotans everywhere. From health care to public safety, climate solutions to education, policymakers in this new legislative landscape came to enact change that
Highlights from the Historic 2023 Minnesota Legislative Session Read More »
CURE celebrates $9.7 billion in federal funds available for clean energy investments Rural leaders from across the country gathered at the White House last week to mark the release of the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. The program makes $9.7 billion of federal investment available to rural electric cooperatives that will leverage almost $40
A “New ERA” for MN rural communities & electric co-ops Read More »
Now is the time to invest in carbon-free electricity, energy efficiency, demand-side flexibility, and other innovations for the 21st century, NOT dirty diesel power. It is 2023. Minnesota, the country, and the world are experiencing the impacts of the growing climate crisis. In recognition of the urgency of the moment, this year, the Minnesota legislature
GRE’s Cambridge 2 Peaker Plant Proposal: A blast from the past Read More »
The Land Back movement, a decentralized effort to return control of ancestral lands to Indigenous communities, gained widespread visibility in recent years, but it has existed in different forms since colonial powers first seized land. Land Back is a part of Indigenous people’s and allies’ efforts to address the ongoing legacy of colonialism. Indigenous communities
Land Back opportunity in Minnesota Read More »
Minnesota-based rural advocacy organization CURE is supporting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to deny a permit to the Rainbow Energy Center (formally known as Coal Creek Station) in North Dakota that would have allowed the coal-fired power plant to continue to dump toxic coal ash into its aging and failing storage pit. Coal ash
CURE Supports EPA Decision to Deny Permit for Coal Creek Toxic Ash Disposal Read More »
RECs make a 93% improvement! Minnesota’s rural electric cooperatives (REC) are starting to heed the call to improve member-owner engagement through enhanced transparency. This is a significantly different place than RECs were in 2018 when CURE began to measure and track co-op governance and transparency policies via the REC Scorecard. What’s new: The 2023 iteration
Kelsey Olson (she/her) joined CURE in 2025 as its Director of Environmental Stewardship. As a skilled environmental naturalist, Kelsey’s work focuses broadly on environmental education and advocacy with a keen focus on rural land use and how that use impacts our environment and climate. Working Lands, how land is used to support agriculture and forestry, is a key focus of her work. She brings 15 years’ experience in public communication, environmental education, and rural community engagement – strong communication strategies are core in her work. This includes two terms of service with AmeriCorps in the VISTA program in Oregon and Maryland and a nearly 10-year career as a naturalist followed. She recently worked on communications and marketing for rural economic development.
Kelsey lives in New London, MN, with her young children, husband, dog, and two cats. They enjoy spending time together outside and finding small treasures in nature. Visits to Minneapolis often include visits to one of their favorite historical museums, the Minnesota Swedish Institute. Kelsey enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, whether this is canning local produce, making kombucha, or other treats!
