6 months ago
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(NewsNation) — Three US states — New York, Michigan and Minnesota — are dealing with electricity tariffs from Canada aft President Donald Trump's projected tariffs connected Canadian imports.
"I emotion Americans... But successful saying that, no, we're going to enactment a 25% tariff connected energy coming from Ontario to Michigan, New York and Minnesota," Ford said during an quality connected Fox Business Network.
As of Monday, those 3 states are being charged 25% much for electricity. This volition impact 1.5 cardinal American homes and businesses, according to The Associated Press.
Here's the interaction connected each authorities and what officials are doing to combat rising energy costs.
New York
Gov. Kathy Hochul said she has ordered authorities vigor officials to reappraisal however overmuch the tariffs could rise energy and vigor costs successful New York.
"These national tariffs person been poorly conceived from the start: crafted successful concealed with nary transparency and nary wide economical rationale, they've lone served to destabilize our superior markets and make uncertainty among New York families and businesses," Hochul said, according to the Associated Press.
According to U.S. Census information obtained by Newsweek, 2 of the apical cities successful New York that import Canadian energy see Buffalo and Ogdensburg. Rochester could besides beryllium affected by these tariffs.
"Doug Ford's menace to restrict energy exports to the U.S. would autumn particularly hard connected Buffalo and upstate New York, similar Rochester," Joseph Webster, elder chap with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, told Newsweek.
As of 2024, Canadian energy imports brought 11.7 cardinal megawatt-hours (MWh) to Buffalo and 6.02 cardinal MWh to Ogdensburg.
It is unclear however New York's reappraisal of rising energy and vigor costs volition result.
Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz is captious of Trump's actions, adjacent though Minnesota lone receives a tiny stock of its energy from Ontario, according to the Associated Press.
Walz posted connected X, saying, "The archetypal victims of Trump's commercialized war? Minnesotans struggling to wage their skyrocketing electrical bill. Minnesota cannot spend Trump's billionaire-run economy. We person to enactment a halt to this madness."
Walz is besides disquieted astir Manitoba enforcing a akin tariff. "So look, adjacent if it were 1 megawatt, this is wholly unnecessary. And the information of the substance is, it doesn't interaction Donald Trump 1 bit. It impacts ratepayers successful Minnesota. For what? These are our friends," Walz said.
Amy Rutledge, a spokesperson for Minnesota Power, did accidental that the portion of Minnesota that borders Ontario lone receives a "very small" information of its powerfulness from the province, according to the Associated Press.
Michigan
Public Information Officer for the Michigan Public Service Commission Matt Helms besides believes that the interaction connected Michigan customers volition beryllium "small." He said that astir of the state's energy is created by inferior companies successful Michigan oregon done semipermanent contracts.
The Michigan Public Service Commission is much disquieted astir the reliability of the electrical grid. Electricity flows betwixt the U.S. and Canada done an interconnected grid.
“Any enactment to bounds oregon disrupt these flows would region a furniture of extortion and marque each of america — Canadians and Americans alike — much susceptible to grid-scale outages,” Helms said.
Why is Canada putting tariffs connected electricity?
This is the effect of Trump's tariffs connected astir imports from Canada and Mexico. Since then, helium has said the North American tariffs would beryllium paused for a month. However, both Mexico and Canada person threatened reciprocal tariffs alongside China, which besides faces higher levies connected imports due to the fact that of these policies.
"I can't ideate that these tariffs, if they spell on, are going to enactment connected precise agelong due to the fact that of the menace of inflation. And again, if ostentation reignites, that's gonna beryllium a major, large occupation for the Trump administration," erstwhile Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said.
According to the premier's bureau successful Canada, the tariffs connected energy volition adhd astir $10 per megawatt-hour to the outgo of power. That surcharge volition outgo households and businesses successful these states an further $100 per period connected mean connected their vigor bills.
These tariffs volition make an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 per time for Ontario.
Trump claimed that the tariffs person been enactment successful spot to assistance forestall fentanyl from coming implicit the border. However, Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta, said, "We haven't really recovered that overmuch merchandise going crossed our borders."
In a quality conference, Ford said, "I volition not hesitate to summation this charge. If the United States escalates, I volition not hesitate to unopen the energy disconnected completely."
Soon-to-be Prime Minister Mark Carney agrees with the energy tariffs. He said, "The Canadian authorities has rightly retaliated... My authorities volition support our tariffs connected until the Americans amusement america respect."
