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on February 26, 2020
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Tune in at 1pm As Isaac Orr Testifies (Again) on Governor Walz’s California Car Mandates

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Transportation

The Minnesota Senate has introduced a bill that would expressly prohibit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) from adopting California's controversial car mandates and they have asked me to testify on the bill. In short, the bill scales back the authority of the MPCA to set maximum emissions standards for motor vehicles in Minnesota, effectively removing any ability for the MPCA to force Minnesotans to obey the dictates of unelected bureaucrats in California. Tune in to my testimony by clicking here.  ...

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on February 25, 2020
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Federal Data Confirms Minnesota Solar Panels Don’t Work Well in Winter

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Recently-released data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms what many of us already knew, that solar panels don't work well in our Minnesota winters. The data is interesting because this is the first time EIA has shown the productivity (or capacity factor) of solar panels on a monthly basis, as you can see in the graph below. While solar panels generated nearly 30 percent of their potential output in July of 2018, electricity generation from Minnesota's solar fleet dropped to 5.6 percent by December. There are multiple reasons for this. One, the days get a lot shorter in the winter...

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on February 24, 2020
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Why Is Governor Walz Trying to Mandate Cars That Nobody Wants?

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Transportation

Last week, I testified before a joint hearing of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee about the Walz administration's desire to force Minnesotans to comply with California's car mandates for low emission vehicles (LEVs) and zero emission vehicles (ZEVs). During their testimonies, advocates of these new mandates claimed they are needed because there is a huge demand for some models of electric vehicles (EVs) that are not currently offered Minnesota, and that they would be offered here if the mandates went into effect. However, survey data from CleanTechnica.com, which is a website dedicated to promoting renewables and electric vehicles, shows...

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on February 21, 2020
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Why Did Minnesota Solar Jobs Fall by Six Percent in 2019?

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

We're constantly told that solar is the energy source of the future, and that we need not worry about rising electricity prices and the loss of jobs in the mining, manufacturing, timber, and agriculture industries because of the booming solar economy. It appears that narrative suffered a setback this week. According to the Star Tribune, the number of solar jobs fell in 2019 by 267 jobs, or 6 percent relative to 2018 numbers. This brought the number of solar jobs in the state to 4,335 in 2019.  The article did not offer an explanation for the fall in solar jobs, but it can...

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on February 20, 2020
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Come Out to Moorhead Tomorrow For The Morning In Minnesota Breakfast Series!

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Hello! Tomorrow morning I'll be in Moorhead, Minnesota to talk about American Experiment's award-winning research, Doubling Down on Failure: How a 50 Percent by 2030 Renewable Energy Standard Would Cost Minnesota $80.2 Billion. This research found a 50 percent wind and solar mandate would cost each Minnesota household $1,200 per year, every year, through 2050 and increase electricity prices by 40 percent. Such a large increase in electricity prices would destroy 21,000 jobs, especially in energy intensive industries like mining, manufacturing, forestry, and agriculture. If this seems extreme, the Walz administration wants to mandate that 100 percent of Minnesota's electricity come from carbon free sources. Come on...

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on February 19, 2020
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Bill Makes Recruiting and Training Activists to Vandalize Pipelines a Felony

Written by Tom Steward
in Energy

A bill before the legislature sends a clear message to would-be eco-terrorists who may be targeting Minnesota. Anyone enlisting and educating individuals with the goal of damaging energy infrastructure in this state will get the book  thrown at them and their accomplices. The proposed legislation by Rep. Shane Mekeland, R-Clear Lake follows the veto of a similar bill by former DFL Gov. Mark Dayton, according to the St. Cloud Times. One of Mekeland's bills would make it a felony to recruit or train protesters to "damage critical infrastructure, including pipelines." It would also make trespassers liable for any damage to property, according...

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on February 18, 2020
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Lawmakers Needn’t Worry About Minnesota Conservative Energy Forum Push Polling

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Center of the American Experiment has previously written about push polling conducted in 2018 by the Minnesota Conservative Energy Forum (MNCEF) which claims that 73 percent of Republicans and Independents in Minnesota "Believe Minnesota should pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy and take action to accelerate the use of clean energy in Minnesota." Unfortunately, it appears this polling is being cited to pressure some members of the Minnesota Senate into supporting the proposed Clean Energy First legislation. While this bill contains some good provisions, it also contains some very bad provisions that would cause electricity prices to increase. Furthermore, Center of the American...

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on February 17, 2020
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Real Clear Energy: Money & Power: New FOIA’d Documents Offer Ugly Candor About ‘Green Energy’

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

The article below was originally written by Chris Horner and it appeared at Real Clear Energy. I've added my own commentary within the text of the article below. "Recently, excerpts from notes taken at a meeting at the Rockefeller family mansion between activists, donors and political appointees emerged. They contain further revelations, beyond those first reported. These notes quote numerous, high-ranking political appointees from state government making quite clear that the costly lessons of scandalous Obama-era parade of high-profile and costly green energy boondoggles changed nothing. “Green energy” remains about money and power. As in keeping power, not generating it. The handwritten and typed notes...

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