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on March 09, 2019
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“Entire nations could be wiped off the face of the Earth by rising sea levels if the global warming trend is not reversed by the year 2000.”

Written by Kim Crockett
in Climate, Socialism

When I got home last night, I watched a local news clip reporting Gov. Walz’s “100 percent renewables by 2050” proposal. I was looking closely at the news anchors; would they report this as a serious idea? Would they burst into laughter? One of them seemed to have a slight smile, like he was trying hard not to laugh. Or point out that Tim Walz would probably be senile or dead by 2050.  ...

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on March 09, 2019
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In The Tank (ep181) – IL Progressive Tax, Cali County Bans Solar Farm, Gov Steals Dog for Tax Debt

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment

Hello! This week's episode of In the Tank is a doozy. We talk about the exodus from the Land of Lincoln as they propose to make it even more expensive to live there, we talk about local opposition to solar and wind projects in California, and we chat about the German government's decision to seize and sell a dog because the owner was behind on their taxes. https://soundcloud.com/user-694711047/in-the-tank-ep181-il-progressive-tax-cali-county-bans-solar-farm-gov-steals-dog-for-tax-debt...

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on March 04, 2019
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Walz Embraces Energy-Illiterate Green New Deal for Minnesota

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment

DFL Governor Tim Walz is making Mark Dayton look  downright moderate. Just this morning the newly-elected governor held a press conference stating his goals for making Minnesota's electricity sector 100 percent free of carbon dioxide emisisons by 2050. Walz's Minnesota Green New Deal is straight out of the radical, energy-illiterate playbook. This policy, which would require Minnesota electric facilities to use only carbon-free energy resources by 2050, would cause massive increases in electricity prices for no measurable environmental benefit. Governor Walz should actually ‘follow the science,’ and realize this proposal is all pain and no gain for Minnesota’s families and communities....

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on March 03, 2019
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Why Renewables Can’t Save the Planet

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment

The following article was written by Michael Schellenberger, an environmentalist and advocate for nuclear power: When I was a boy, my parents would sometimes take my sister and me camping in the desert. A lot of people think deserts are empty, but my parents taught us to see the wildlife all around us, including hawks, eagles, and tortoises. After college, I moved to California to work on environmental campaigns. I helped save the state’s last ancient redwood forest and blocked a proposed radioactive waste repository set for the desert. In 2002, shortly after I turned 30, I decided I wanted to dedicate myself...

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on March 01, 2019
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Xcel Was Caught Short By Arctic Cold

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment

The story below from the Star Tribune summarizes a meeting held yesterday at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which was held to determine how well Minnesota’s utility companies weathered the polar vortex that brought bitter cold temperatures to our state at the end of January. In short, it was not a good day for Xcel Energy....

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on February 20, 2019
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SF1372 Eliminating Size Limits on Hydropower is Smart Policy

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Minnesota passed its 25 percent renewable energy mandate in 2007, but did you know this bill specifically prohibited counting electricity from large hydroelectric dams as a way to comply with the standard? As crazy as this sounds, it is true, and it has had serious negative impacts for Minnesota households. Fortunately, SF 1372 would eliminate the size limit on hydropower for satisfying the renewable energy mandate. This may sound like a small tweak to existing legislation, but this is actually a very big deal. Minnesota currently imports about 7.2 million megawatt hours of electricity from Canada, or about 10 percent of our...

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on February 20, 2019
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Helping the U of M Energy Transition Lab Understand Energy

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

A few weeks ago, I wrote an opinion editorial to the Star Tribune about how the Polar Vortex reemphasized the need for reliable forms of electricity in our state. My article was the most widely read opinion piece on the Strib’s website for two days, which prompted three employees of the University of Minnesota’s Energy Transition Lab (ETL) to write a reply. Their reply claimed I used confusing statistics to misrepresent the role renewables play in our system, but I contest that the statistics I used should not be confusing, especially for members the university's Energy Transition Lab. So, to clear...

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on February 18, 2019
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Mix One Part Green New Deal With One Part Polar Vortex

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

A deadly cold front recently swept through the Midwest, but thanks to nuclear energy, coal and natural gas, things did not turn out as badly as they could have. Most people stayed warm and safe because they trusted affordable, reliable and secure domestic energy sources that have served us for decades. The system that provides electricity and heat for millions could change drastically under the proposed Green New Deal. Proponents propose to completely abandon the sources of energy that protected millions of lives recently, telling us that “the world will end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change.” From there, they springboard to...

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