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on June 28, 2019
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Rep. Gruenhagen Gets It on Energy and Minnesota’s Green New Deal

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment

There's been a fun exchange in the Litchfield Independent Review among Representative Gruenhagen and a member of the public who was defending the Green New Deal. The latest article features Rep. Gruenhagen lambasting the claims made by the writer and defending American Experiment's work on energy and economic issues from the typical ad hominem attacks that come our way from people who don't know how to do the math and evaluate our work for themselves. You can read the article for yourself below, and I'd encourage you to also read the article on the Litchfield Independent Review site so they get...

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on June 26, 2019
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Every Wind Turbine and Solar Panel Built Today Will Be Scrap Metal by 2050

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

Wind turbines and solar panels only last for 20 and 30 years, respectively, meaning every wind turbine and solar panel built today will be scrap metal by 2050. How can anyone who claims climate change is an "existential crisis" seriously advocate for building tomorrow's scrap metal, today?...

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on June 20, 2019
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Trump’s ACE Rule Can Help Minnesota Miners and Manufacturers, Will The Utilities Let It?

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment

Yesterday the Trump administration finalized the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, which is designed to improve efficiency at coal-fired power plants. As a result, these plants would produce more electricity while at the same time burning less coal. These efficiency improvements would reduce emissions and result in lower costs for consumers. In fact, American Experiment's recent report Doubling Down on Failure, is unique because it is the only report in the country, that I am aware of, to calculate the potential economic benefits of the ACE rule on a state's economy. Our research found that upgrading Minnesota's coal plants to meet...

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on June 18, 2019
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Should EV Charging Stations Be Regulated as Utilities? Kentucky Joins Majority to Say ‘No,’ Minnesota Should Too

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

Last week, Kentucky regulators ruled that electric vehicle charging stations were not considered utilities under state law, according to Utility Dive. In doing so, Kentucky joins Iowa, Vermont and California in determining that chargers do not provide a public service in the same way that other electric services do. This makes sense, because owning an electric car is a luxury item. The graph below from the Energy Information Administration shows most electric car owners make more than $100,000. Not surprisingly, most of the household that own electric cars also have a regular car. Therefore, the argument that electric car chargers are a vital public...

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on June 17, 2019
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Mortenson Construction to Use Robotic Equipment On “Primarily Renewable Energy Projects”

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

Mortenson Construction is one of the largest renewable-energy construction firms in the country, but it appears the firm will be dolling out less "green" to their laborers. A recent story in the Star Tribune discusses how Mortenson will be employing remote-controlled bulldozers to prepare sites for wind turbines instead of hiring laborers to man the machines. The remote-controlled bulldozers will be first be employed on remote projects in Wyoming where worker housing and other logistical difficulties make automation  economically attractive, but there's no reason to think it would be impossible for the company to begin using automated equipment in other areas...

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on June 16, 2019
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American Experiment Opposes the Carbon Tax Scam

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment

Last week, 75 conservative organizations signed a public letter to Congress opposing “any carbon tax” days after reports that Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney openly considered backing carbon tax bill, and American Experiment was one of them. The letter, circulated by Americans for Tax Reform, read: "We oppose any carbon tax. A carbon tax raises the cost of heating your home in the winter and cooling your home in the summer. It raises the cost of filling your car. A carbon tax increases the cost of everything Americans buy and lowers Americans’ effective take home pay. A carbon tax increases the power, cost...

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on June 14, 2019
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China is Building 89 Shercos in the Coming Years

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment

Yesterday I posted about how India is building a lot of coal-fired power plants. These power plants would have a generation capability equal to building the Sherburne County (Sherco) coal-fired power plant, Minnesota's largest electricity generator, 42 times. It turns out that China, not to be outdone, is going to build the equivalent of 89 Shercos to provide affordable, around-the-clock energy for millions of people. This is good news for Chinese citizens, who use 63 percent less electricity, on a per-capita basis, than people living in the United States, but it could mean bad news for energy intensive industries like mining and...

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on June 13, 2019
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Global CO2 Emissions To Skyrocket As India Plans To Build 42 Shercos in the Coming Years

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment

During the legislative session, we heard Governor Walz, House DFL members, and liberal environmentalists call climate change an "existential crisis," several times (give or take a million). This so-called crisis was used as justification for trying to pass radical Green New Deal-style legislation in Minnesota in an attempt to dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Absent from these discussions, however, was any context for global carbon dioxide emissions and the impact they will have on future temperatures. This seems like a massive oversight. It's called global warming, after all. The most likely reason this discussion never occurred is because it would undermine the Governor's case...

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