Bethany M. Owen
2l9 West 5" Street
Duluth, MN 55806

January 5. 2020

Dear Governor Wet: and Commissioner Bishop:

With great pleasure and exmtement and a sincere desire to be ol service to you and to the people
ol the sate ol Minnesota. I respectlully request your consideration ol my application to serve on the
Governor's Advisory Council on Climate Change,

I am privileged to serve as President oi ALLETE. Inc.. which has approximately 1500 employees
in tour operating divisions, with the largest two headquartered here in Minnesota: ALLETE Clean Energy
and Minnesota Power -- plus Superior Water. Light Power in Wisconsin. and BM Energy in North
Dakota. In addition to the details contained in my attached CV. id like to share a bit more about my
personal and orolessional background in an often to help convey my passion lor this critically important
issue,

i have lived in Minnesota since 1992. when I moved to attend graduate school at the University ol
Minnesota. and consider this great. beautilul state my home, I am originally from Tennessee 7 both sets
ol my grandparents were small lamily lanners there. and I spent much oi my time growing up on my
grandparents' small dairy larrn. As a result. 1 have a deep and abiding love of the land and ol nature - and
an appreciation for the importance ol resilience and sustainability. We didn't use those exact terms back
then. but we lived them -- every Single day. I certainly never envisioned leading an energy company. but I
have iound that my lamin larming background instilled in me the critical importance of hard work.
perseverance. and adaptability -- all incrediny uselul qualities lor leading a company that embraces
sustainability as a core value and that is a clean energy leader.

Alter college. i worked lor lour years in the United States Senate in Washington. D.C. From that
experience. i have carried with me throughout my career the deSire to seek out others With diverse
opinions. truly listen and seek to understand. and work iogelherto develop solutions to important issues

While attending law school at the University oi Minnesota and for two years alter graduation. i
worked lor Robins. Kaplan. Miller E'Ciresi. was attracted to that iirm because oi its history built on
diversity and inclusion and its longstanding reputation tor successlully taking on prinCipIed lights that other
lirms saw as too risky. When I was a summer associate there. the lirm announced its representation of
the State of Minnesota and Blue Cross Blue Shield in the tobacco litigation. Although. as an associate i
was not part ol the tobacco team and can take no credit lor its success. I was and am very proud ol the
work that the lirm and its attorneys did to hold the tobacco companies accountable and reach the landmark
settlement on behall oi the people ol the State oi Minnesota.

After living and working in the Twin Cities tor 10 years. I tell in love with northern Minnesota and
Lake Superior. moved to Duluth in 2002. and began working at ALLETE. I chose ALLETE because ol its
culture and reputation as a company With strong values. especially integrity and a steadlast commitment
to environmental stewardship. Our sustainability statement prowdes in part:

At ALLETE, we recognize that impacts from human activity, including climate
change. are real, complex. and interrelated. We are committed to answering the call
to transform the nation's energy landscape through Innovative and sustainable
solutions

Bethany M. Owen
Page 2

I am incre dibly proud to work for a company where sustainability is not only the foundation of our strategy
- but it's a shared value of all of us. Susta inability is not new here at ALLETE - and we beli eve in th e
importance of sustainabi lity in all of its forms - environment, society , and best-practice governan ce . More
than a belief - we are committed and are taking concrete actions to address climate change and
enhance sustainability in all dimensions.
Environment:

Our relatively small company headquartered in northern Minnesota is now a leader in clean energy . One
aspect of our company that I admire is that we're relatively modest about that clean energy lead ershi p.
Sometimes the absence of big, splashy headlines can lead people to believe that ALLETE is not creat ive
or innovative or that we 're not moving forward . And , nothing could be further from the truth .
In 2011 , we formed ALLETE Clean Energy , which has grown to ALLETE 's second largest bu si nes s and
will provide more than 1,000 megawatts of carbon-free , wind energy to customers by the end of this yea r.
We are proud that the renewable energy developed by ALLETE Clean Energy enables oth er corporations
(such as Starbucks and Walmart) and utilities (such as Xcel ) to achieve their sustainab ility and cl ean
energy goals .
In addition , ALLETE 's largest operating division - Minnesota Power - is leading the State in providing
renewable energy to its customers. It currently provides 30 % carbon-free, renewabl e energy to its
customers (higher than any other utility in Minnesota), and it is on-track to provide 50% carbon-free,
renewable energy by 2021 - next year! That is a remarkable transformation for a company that was just
5% renewable in 2005. Minnesota Power has moved further and faster than most other utilities in
transforming its energy supply , making it #1 in the State of Minnesota and #2 in all of the Midwest
(behind only MidAmerican in Iowa). Along the way, Minnesota Power has exceeded State goals for
conservation for nine consecutive years .
So , ALLETE is a leader in carbon-free, renewable energy - not just in th e State and Midwest, but in North
Ameri ca. A 2018 study by Goldman Sachs ranked ALLETE the second-largest investor in wind and
solar energy, as a percent of market capitalization , among all large U.S. and Canadian energy
companies . ALLETE is answering the call to transform the nation 's energy landscape. That is som eth ing
we are proud of, and we are headquartered right here in the State of Minnesota.
Society:

At ALLETE , we believe we are in the "security, comfort, and quality of life" business. Minn esota Power
has achieved its clean energy leadership , all while serving som e of th e largest industrial customers in the
State and ensuring safety and re li ability and the lowest residential rates in th e State of Minn esota. And
that's important - because we believe equity plays a criti cal role in ensuring security , comfort , and qu ality
of life! Minnesota Power has worked extensive ly with low-income advocates to ensure equity as it relate s
to the affordability of electricity for our most vulnerable customers. In addition , Minnesota Power ha s
implemented successful conservation programs for low-income customers and developed a uniqu e solar
program for low-income customers - the first of its kind in Minnesota.
We are committed to the health of the communities in our region - to giving ba ck and helping ind ividu als
and famil ies in our communi ties thrive and grow. A very real example is th e fact that ALLETE was th e first
co mpany north of the Twin Cities to be recogni zed by the State as a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Company - refl ecting our commitment to recruiting , supporting , and embracing active-duty se rvice
members , veterans , and their fami lies.

 Bethany M. Owen
Page 3

In addition , we have committed as an organization to help bridge the opportunity gap in our region .
Through scholarships dedicated to those students who have the greatest financial need - and through
millions of dollars of grants and donations from our employees and our company - and most importantl y,
through volunteer hours to support organizations that focus on improving the lives of individuals and th e
health of communities.
From a personal standpoint , I have served on the board of trustees of the Duluth Superior Area Community
Foundation since 2012, and the Community Foundation 's primary initiative is "Opportunity Rising " - which
is a multi-prong strategy to address the opportunity gap throughout our region . I am so proud that ALLETE
was selected last year as the Community Foundation 's first "Opportunity Rising Business Partner" to
reflect our past work and ongoing commitment to this critically important cause . We have much more work
to do in our communities , and ALLETE and I will be helping to lead the way.
Best-Practice Governance:
Finally, ALLETE is one of very few publicly traded companies whose Board of Directors is 50% wom en.
We are actively working to ensure that diversity in fill forms is reflected on our Board - but gender diversity
is nothing new at ALLETE . We've had women on our Board and in senior leadership for decades. We
certainly appreciate the strength that diversity of thought , experience , and background brings , and we will
continue to encourage and embrace diversity in all forms.
So - sustainability in all of its forms is not new for us here at ALLETE , and it certainly isn 't lip-service .
am proud and excited about the role that our company and our employees plays in the health of th e
environment and of individuals , communities , and customers in our region. We've been doing all of this
for more than 100 years , and we take that role and that responsibility very seriously.
I hope this additional information conveys my passion and commitment , as well as the professional
experience I would bring if I were appointed to the Governor's Advisory Council on Climate Change . It
would be a tremendous honor to serve you and the people of the State of Minnesota in this important
mission .
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,

/s/
Bethany M. Owen

Attachment: CV