Oil Imports From OPEC Reach 30 Year Low Thanks to Fracking

Oil imports from OPEC countries have reached their lowest level in 30 years, but it’s not because of wind and solar. It’s because of American oil producers ramping up production using a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. As you can see, oil imports from OPEC nations like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela have declined precipitously since 2008, when the revolution in oil and natural gas production began to find its stride. Since that time, the United States has become the largest producer of both oil and natural gas in the world. OPEC’s declining importance to...

Rent controls aren’t the solution to the affordable housing shortage

High prices aren't problems, they're symptoms of problems. High rents are big, flashing lights telling us to sort out the mismatch between demand and supply.

Minnesota’s economic news, w/e 6/21/19

A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.

AMERICAN EXPERIMENT BOOK SHELF

Lawsuit Claims St. Paul Failed to Implement Own Sick Pay Policy

The St. Paul City Council imposed a controversial paid sick leave ordinance on all businesses last year. The ordinance allows employees to take up to additional six paid days off every year, essentially no questions asked. In doing so, the powers that be largely dismissed warnings from business owners that the Earned Sick and Safe Time mandate would be a costly, logistical nightmare to implement.  Now it seems that’s exactly what appears to have happened–only not to a business but rather the city itself. A former seasonal city employee has sued St. Paul for allegedly failing to implement the paid...

My Apology

I want to apologize to the many Minnesotans, particularly in the Somali community, who were understandably upset by my comments in the New York Times. To be clear, my remarks do not reflect the values or views of Center of the American Experiment, or my own. I regret the embarrassment to my colleagues who work so diligently to make our state a better place to live and work for all Minnesotans. I’ve always advocated taking personal responsibility for one’s actions and will strive to rebuild the relationships and trust that I have damaged.

On This Day: The 25 Year Battle Between North Dakota and Minnesota Over Energy Regulations

Earlier this year, American Experiment reported that North Dakota has an enormous war chest of $5 million on stand-by ready to sue Minnesota over regulations passed in our state regulating CO2 emissions. North Dakota has argued in the past and will continue to make the case that any policy passed in Minnesota regulating emissions coming from electricity generation will directly impact North Dakota utilities, as well, in violation of the Commerce Clause in the Constitution. As mentioned in the article above, Minnesota lost a recent court case in 2014 regarding provisions within the state’s Next Generation Energy Act (NGEA). These...

From Colorado: Xcel Energy Put Shareholder Profits Before Pueblo Families and Kids’ Education

New U.S. Department of Energy study shows Pueblo, the State of Colorado, and Colorado ratepayers could have benefited more from not retiring Comanche I & II early June 20, 2019 (Pueblo, Colo.) – A study released today by the U.S. Department of Energy showed the economic benefits that would have accrued to Pueblo, Colo. had Xcel not pushed to retire Comanche I & II early and used carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology instead. According to the study, Colorado was identified as an ideal location because it currently has existing natural CO2 resources as well as pipeline infrastructure that is used to transport...