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on March 20, 2020
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What Would a Joe Biden Fracking Ban Look Like? Part Three: A $3,000 Pain at the Pump for Minnesota Families

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

During the Democrat debate on Sunday, March 15, 2020, between Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice-President Joe Biden, Vice-President Biden stated that he would allow "no new fracking." However, banning "new fracking" would have incredibly bad  consequences for the whole country because it would greatly increase the cost of gasoline, causing a big pain at the pump for Minnesota families. This article is the third installment in this series. Higher Costs for Gasoline According to a 2016 study conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce entitled "What if Hydraulic Fracturing Was Banned?" a national fracking ban would cause gasoline prices to...

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on March 19, 2020
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What Would a Joe Biden Fracking Ban Look Like? Part Two: Devastating Economic Impacts

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

During the Democrat debate on Sunday, March 15, 2020, between Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice-President Joe Biden, Vice-President Biden stated that he would allow "no new fracking," and touted his role in spending $90 billion on the solar industry as part of the Obama administration's stimulus package. As I explained in Part One of this series, banning "new fracking" is essentially the same thing as banning all fracking. Such a bad policy would have devastating economic impacts for the entire country. According to a 2016 study conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce entitled "What if Hydraulic Fracturing Was Banned?"...

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on March 18, 2020
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Banned Drive-Thrus Now Embraced by Minneapolis Mayor Frey in Coronavirus Crisis

Written by Tom Steward
in Energy

What a difference a real public health crisis makes, as opposed to the manufactured imminent threat to our collective survival from climate change. Last fall Minneapolis elected officials banned new drive-thru windows for restaurants and businesses in a virtue-signaling move aimed at reducing the city's carbon footprint 80 percent by 2050, due to the dire threat from global warming. Only weeks ago the city was touting its role as the biggest city in the nation yet to ban new drive-thrus in media outlets like MPR. Council president Lisa Bender says the city had already been limiting them. "We've already restricted drive-throughs over...

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on March 18, 2020
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What Would a Joe Biden Fracking Ban Look Like? Part One: What is Fracking?

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

During the Democrat debate on Sunday, March 15, 2020, between Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice-President Joe Biden, Vice-President Biden stated that he would allow "no new fracking," and touted his role in spending $90 billion on the solar industry as part of the Obama administration's stimulus package. While the Biden campaign is reportedly trying to walk back this claim, stating that the former Vice-President misspoke, no one can know for sure what Mr. Biden meant, but we can know a fracking ban would have a devastating impact on the American economy, increase the cost of energy, reduce our national...

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on March 17, 2020
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What Would a Joe Biden Fracking Ban Look Like? A Series

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

During the Democrat debate on Sunday, March 15, 2020, between Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice-President Joe Biden, Vice-President Biden stated that he would allow "no new fracking," and touted his role in spending $90 billion on the solar industry as part of the Obama administration's stimulus package. While the Biden campaign is reportedly trying to walk back this claim, stating that the former Vice-President misspoke, no one can know for sure what Mr. Biden meant, but we can know a fracking ban would have a devastating impact on the American economy, increase the cost of energy, reduce our national...

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on March 16, 2020
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Plastic Bags Save Lives, So Why are “Environmentalists” Trying to Ban Them?

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Plastic bag bans and taxes have become all the rage in urban areas, as generally affluent, liberal city officials try to reduce the use of plastic bags. However, current events with the COVID-19 virus show that environmental virtue signalling by banning plastic bags could come at a large cost to public health. According to an article in City Journal:  "The COVID-19 outbreak is giving new meaning to those “sustainable” shopping bags that politicians and environmentalists have been so eager to impose on the public. These reusable tote bags can sustain the COVID-19 and flu viruses—and spread the viruses throughout the store. Researchers have been...

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on March 13, 2020
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Coronavirus Could Keep Wind Industry From Soaking Up More Subsidies

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

The Coronavirus is disrupting the global supply chain for solar and wind energy because many of the components used in solar panels and wind turbines are made in China, according to multiple reports. This disruption could delay wind projects, which could potentially prevent them from qualifying from recently-extended federal subsidies. According to a piece in The Washington Examiner: "Renewable energy relies on a global supply chain," said Greg Wetstone, CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy. "There are very real concerns about the ability to get critically important parts of the supply chain in a timely fashion, and that's particularly important for our...

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on March 12, 2020
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Wind Turbine Owned by Apex Clean Energy Catches Fire in Texas

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

On March 8th, a wind turbine owned by Apex Clean Energy caught fire in South Texas. Many people don't realize this, but wind turbines require oil to operate. Oil, which is often demonized by wind-energy advocates, is used to reduce friction in the wind turbine. It also keeps the gearbox clean and protects metals surfaces from corrosion, according to Wind Power Engineering. Oil is also flammable. According to an article in a South Texas newspaper: It was a normal lazy Sunday before area fire crews got a call that a wind turbine was on fire on County Road 3683, in between Taft...

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on March 11, 2020
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Minnesota Electricity Rates Increased Again in 2019, Reaching New All-Time Highs

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Newly-released data from the United States Energy Information Administration show that electricity rates in Minnesota increased again in 2019, reaching new all-time highs. The increase in electricity costs affected all classes of consumers, resulting in higher costs for families, businesses, and factories. It didn't used to be this way. In fact, Minnesota once had electricity prices that were nearly 20 percent below the national average, but since 2005, when Xcel Energy was required to start adding significant amounts of wind on its system, electricity prices have increased by nearly 60 percent, which is about 30 percent more than the national average,...

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