ST PAUL, Minn. — State lawmakers are looking to trip up the copper wire thieves that have taken a huge toll on St. Paul's street lights and traffic signals.
The new legislation from St. Paul Rep. Athena Hollins and Sen. Sandy Pappas would require you to get a state license to buy or sell scrap copper wiring in Minnesota.
"People are stealing copper because a small number of businesses are looking the other way and not asking questions when they buy stolen copper," Rep. Hollins told reporters.
"And that's fine. If they won't do it, we will."
The bills are in response to thieves who've stripped the copper out of thousands of street lights and traffic signals in St. Paul and other cities. It has left neighborhoods in the dark, and cost taxpayers more than $1 millions to repair.
Hollins said she's been looking for ways to turn back the tide of copper thefts for more than a year, but the issue became more urgent on Christmas Eve when U.S. Marine Corps veteran Steve Wirtz and his dog were struck and killed while crossing a street darkened by thieves.
"That's when I knew that copper wire theft is more than just an inconvenience or a perpetual infrastructure expense. It's a public safety crisis."
Sen. Pappas said the goal of the bill is to remove the marketplace for stolen copper wiring, and in that respect it's patterned after the catalytic converter bill lawmakers passed in 2023.
She said licensed electrical contractors would be automatically licensed to sell scrap copper wiring, and do-it-yourselfers would be allowed to donate leftover copper to recyclers.
"Residents and business would still be allowed to recycle copper with scrap metal companies for free, and the thieves who’ve been gutting our public utilities will be locked out of the market where they earn most of their money."
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry told reporters the value of the scrapped copper is just a fraction of the actual cost of fixing the damage left behind.
"For $50 worth of copper wire, a person's doing about $2,000 worth of damage. So, it isn't just costing the city 50 bucks. It's not just $50. It's the labor of the electrician to fix that wire — $2,000 to fix the light and the damage being done."
Metal scrappers in Minnesota area already required to carefully document purchasers of catalytic converters and other scrap metal. That would apply to copper wiring now too, and those selling that copper would be required to show a state license to complete the transaction.
"If you're gonna show up at a scrap yard with a pickup load of sheathed or stripped wire to sell, you must certainly be a licensed contractor, you must be able to demonstrate you have a need to have that wire," St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter explained.
"People steal copper wire because they can sell stolen copper wire. So, if you can’t sell stolen copper wire, then we can eliminate that marketplace and eliminate the incentive for selling it in the first place."
During a committee hearing, a scrap industry representative warned that the legislation would merely chase the crooks across the state lines, while making it harder for scrappers to take part in copper recycling efforts.
The bill passed the House Commerce Committee Monday and is headed next to the House Ways and Means Committee. The Senate version will be heard by the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday.