on December 06, 2019

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It’s National Miners Day- Thank A Miner

Written by Isaac Orr

On National Miners Day, America honors the 325,000 men and women who work in nearly 13,000 surface and underground mines across the United States. Throughout Minnesota's history, the miners of our state have worked tirelessly to supply our state, and country, with the metals and minerals that are indispensable to our daily lives. Mining is part of Minnesota's history and heritage. During World War II, Minnesota’s miners labored tirelessly over 16-hour days to provide the iron ore that became the ships, aircraft, and rifles used win the war. Today, Minnesota produces 85 percent of the iron ore mined in the United States, making...

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on December 05, 2019

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Are Liberal Minnesota Energy Policies Making Pollution Worse?

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Improving Minnesota's air quality is often used as justification for mandating wind and solar on our electric grid, and now groups like Fresh Energy want to ban the use of natural gas for heating new buildings. However, there is a very persuasive argument to be made that these policies will actually result in making Minnesota's air quality worse. First of all, it's important to note that Minnesota's air is already very clean. The graph below is from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), and it shows Minnesota meets federal air quality standards for ozone, fine particles, lead, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide,...

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on December 04, 2019

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I’ll See You in Kiester Tonight!

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Tonight I will be in Kiester, Minnesota to talk about the high cost of wind and solar power as part of Center of the American Experiment's continued mission to reach the people of Greater Minnesota with free market ideas. I'll be presenting to a group of citizens who are concerned about the costs of wind turbines and transmission lines being built in their area and discussing the findings of our award winning research Doubling Down on Failure, How a 50 Percent by 2030 Renewable Energy Standard Would Cost Minnesota $80.2 Billion. With high-pressure land acquisition specialists circling the area, it has never...

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on December 03, 2019

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Reactions to Proposed Rate Increases Shows Minnesota Citizen’s Utility Board Cares More about Renewables Than Ratepayers

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

There is no reason for CUB to be more upset about Minnesota Power’s rate increase than Xcel Energy's. I submit that the reason CUB is less forgiving of Minnesota Power's smaller rate increase is that the organization cares about renewables first, and ratepayers second....

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on December 02, 2019

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Wisconsin Utilities Rake in Increased Profits as Wind and Solar, Transmission Spending Increases

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Government-approved monopoly utility companies in the Midwest continue to pad their guaranteed corporate profits by building more wind and solar installations, along with the transmission lines needed to transport the energy generated by them to far-away population centers. This time, it is Wisconsin utilities that are doing the profit padding by adopting the same language used by Xcel Energy to mislead consumers on the cost of their electricity, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. "Alliant Energy announced a 7% increase in its 2020 dividends Wednesday as it reported earnings of $226 million in the third quarter of 2019. That’s up almost 10 percent...

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on December 01, 2019

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Sunday Funnies: Germany is Building New Coal Plants

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Germany is often (wrongly) touted as an example for Minnesota to follow in terms of energy policy despite the fact that Germans pay three times higher electricity rates and emissions have stayed essentially flat since 2008. Hopefully more Minnesotans will begin to understand the failure of German energy policy and that this realization will allow us to change course in our own energy policy. ...

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on November 30, 2019

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Statewide View Column: Trump Can Stop Walz From Turning Minnesota into a Cold California

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Transportation

This article originally appeared in The Duluth News Tribune. In late September, Gov. Tim Walz announced he would circumvent the Legislature by using the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s bureaucratic rulemaking process to force Minnesota to comply with California’s regulations mandating the use of zero-emissions vehicles and low-emissions vehicles (“Minnesota to follow California auto standards,” Sept. 26). Proponents of these rules claim they will improve consumer options and the environment, but the truth is these mandates will raise vehicle costs for families and businesses with no measurable environmental benefit. Thankfully, the administration of President Donald Trump may preempt Gov. Walz’s attempt to let unelected...

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on November 29, 2019

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You’re Getting Black Friday Deals Everyday on Oil and Natural Gas Thanks to Fracking

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Many people will be heading to the mall today or scouring online to score sweet deals on the latest goods and services as part of the annual Black Friday tradition, but one thing people probably don't realize is that they have been getting Black-Friday quality deals on oil and natural gas for the last several years thanks to hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," This technology revolutionized the energy industry and transformed the United States of America into the single-largest producer of oil and natural gas in the world seemingly overnight. Using fracking to produce oil and natural gas has caused...

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on November 28, 2019

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I’m Thankful for Your Generosity

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

This is going to be short and sweet, but I'm thankful for all the support our readers give us to help American Experiment to keep fighting the good fight to make sure that Minnesotans have access to affordable, reliable sources of energy, and help stop really bad ideas like banning the use of natural gas for home heating. In the energy space, we are competing against groups that get millions of dollars from places like the McKnight Foundation. On the other hand, American Experiment is truly a grassroots movement competing against groups that get more money than our entire budget just...

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on November 27, 2019

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Rural County OKs Minneapolis Developer’s Solar Project Over Constituents’ Concerns

Written by Tom Steward

in Energy

It's farm country in Nicollet County in southern Minnesota--solar farm country, that is, given recent actions by the county board. The county commissioners decided to move ahead with a 3,700 panel solar farm proposed by a Minneapolis green energy developer that has a deal to sell the subsidized power to Xcel Energy. RELATED: The Environmental Disaster of Solar Energy The county board unanimously backed the Twin City company's proposal despite vocal opposition from their constituents. A week earlier, the planning and zoning board also voted unanimously to recommend proceeding with the 1 Megawatt six acre solar eyesore. Again over the residents' objections...

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