Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), tapped by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris as her running mate, has been known as a staunch supporter of infrastructure spending throughout his two terms in the state capitol.
Walz, who was elected governor in 2018 and reelected in 2022, also served in the U.S. House from 2007 to 2019, and is seen as a solid backer of organized labor, which cheered his selection for the Harris ticket.
Tim Worke, CEO of Associated General Contractors Minnesota Chapter, tells ENR that “he’s been a strong stalwart for infrastructure investment of all kinds.”
Worke says that in Walz’s first term as governor, beginning in 2019 he lacked a majority in the Legislature. He proposed a gas-tax increase and “took some hits, saying we needed to improve our transportation infrastructure, according to Worke.
But in the end, the legislature approved the largest capital bonding issue in Minnesota history, amounting to slightly more than $2 billion, says Worke.
In Walz’s second term, with the Legislature in Democratic control, he was able to go further, resulting in a $2.6-billion infrastructure package, a state record for such legislation.
The bill, signed into law June 1, 2023, covered a wide range of types of infrastructure.
Components include $501 million for water infrastructure, $403 million for transportation, including local roads and bridges, $78 million for a veterans’ home and $120 million for community-based organizations and nonprofits.
Walz also has been a strong advocate for legislation and policies aimed at addressing climate change and environmental justice issues. Policies and programs enacted during his tenure include legislation to increase access to electric vehicles, assess cumulative impacts in environmental justice communities, and replace lead drinking water pipes.
In February 2023, Walz signed legislation requiring all Minnesota electric utilities to produce carbon-free electricity by 2040. This June, he signed legislation to speed up permitting for energy projects in Minnesota by creating two tracks for environmental reviews: standard reviews for small solar, wind and power-line projects; and more intensive studies for larger projects, such as major transmission lines or power plants.
Organized labor hailed Walz’s selection. Kenneth W. Cooper, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers international president, cited the union jobs created by the state infrastructure law and said that Walz “has led one of the nation’s most pro-union, pro-worker state governments.”
But the Associated Builders and Contractors sharply criticized Harris’s choice.
in a joint statement, Ben Brubeck, ABC vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs, and Adam Hanson, president of ABC of Minnesota/North Dakota, said, “As a reliable partner to organized labor, Walz has led several misguided efforts that hamstring small business owners and their ability to effectively run their businesses, shut out the overwhelming majority of construction workers from public works projects and given unfair advantages to unions in their quest to broaden their membership, all at the expense of small business owners and taxpayers.”