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General Government <br />maintaining the right of way. <br />Cities are also adopting energy policies that often result in the use of renewable energy <br />resources to light or heat public facilities. Policies and programs have also been instituted <br />in cooperation with the public utility franchisee to increase energy efficiency for all users. <br />Cities also contract, at city expense, with public utilities to "underground" wires. <br />The State of Minnesota has also adopted legislation that requires energy companies to <br />provide more of its electric energy from renewable sources. The specific amounts vary by <br />type of utility. <br />Metro Cities supports: <br />State policies adopted by legislation or through rules of the Public Utility <br />Commission that provide cities with the authority to include city energy <br />policies and priorities in a franchise or similar agreement with a franchisee; <br />and <br />Greater accountability and transparency for city paid costs associated with <br />underground utility and similar work performed by electric utilities as part <br />of a local project. <br />2-Q Water Supply <br />Municipal water suppliers are charged with meeting the water supply needs of their <br />communities and work to do so with safe, reliable and cost effective systems that are <br />sustainable both for established cities and for all future growth. <br />The aquifers in the metropolitan area cross municipal boundaries and therefore require a <br />coordinated regional approach to planning for their future availability. Currently, <br />approximately 75% of municipal water supply in the metropolitan area comes from <br />groundwater. With proper management of the resource, the current water supply in the <br />region is adequate; however, Metropolitan Council projections predict localized declines <br />in aquifer availability due to population growth estimates if current usage levels are <br />maintained. <br />Regulation of water is complex and compartmentalized. Various agencies permit its use, <br />plan for its availability, regulate stormwater, treat wastewater and protect the safety of <br />water. To ensure that water supply remains adequate and sustainable across the region, <br />we must understand how much water can be sustainably drawn from the aquifers and <br />what effect increases in re -use, conservation and recharge can have on the sustainability <br />and availability of both groundwater and surface water. Many of these strategies cross <br />agency jurisdictions and will require improved coordination and cooperation. <br />Municipal water suppliers have made significant infrastructure investments in their <br />systems based on calculated water availability and DNR permits. Proposals to reduce the <br />2016 Legislative Policies 17 <br />