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on October 11, 2019
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California to Shut Off Electricity to 2.5 Million People Customer to Avoid Wildfires

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Pacific Gas and Electric (PGE), which is the largest utility in the largest utility in the state of California, recently announced it will shut off the power to 2.5 million people over the coming weeks in an effort to prevent wildfires. California utilities say it could take as many as five days for the power to come back on after the fire danger has passed as utilities check the lines for fire damage. California has always been a warm, dry state. Historical records show large fires have occurred in California for thousands of years, so it is no surprise that they still...

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on October 08, 2019
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Long Island Liberals Wake Up to How Green Extremism Hurts Constituents

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Renewable energy groups like Fresh Energy are encouraging the City of Minneapolis to follow the precedent set by the City of Berkeley in California by banning natural gas in new construction within the City to limit carbon dioxide emissions. This would be an incredibly bad idea, as liberal State Senators in New York, which has banned fracking for natural gas and opposed natural gas pipelines, are now finding out. It appears reality is crashing down on liberal elected officials in the Empire state, where the natural gas shortages they caused are threatening public safety and the state's economic growth. According to...

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on October 07, 2019
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Problems with Metro Transit Electric Buses Show the Technology Isn’t Ready for Primetime

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Transportation

Last week the Star Tribune ran an article entitled "Metro Transit Temporarily Pulls Electric Buses from C Line Because of Problems with Chargers," stating the eight electric buses on the newly-formed C Line would be taken out of service until defects with the charging mechanisms could be fixed. Diesel-powered buses will continue service on the line. According to the article: "The 60-foot electric buses, manufactured by New Flyer of America in St. Cloud, were supposed to charge overnight and then stop for a quick 12-minute charge at the Brooklyn Center Transit Center while in operation. But issues surfaced with the electric fleet’s...

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on October 06, 2019
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Sunday Funnies: Tesla Police Car Runs Out of Battery During High Speed Chase

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Transportation

A Tesla Model S, purchased used for $61,000 by Fremont, California ran out of juice last week while in a high speed chase and had to abandon the persuit to find a charging station. The suspect was not apprehended. According to ExtremeTech: Here’s what happened: Sept. 20, the Tesla was on patrol. It began pursuit of what police described as a “felony vehicle,” a Toyota Avalon, on Interstate 680 South in Fremont. The chased reached peak speeds of 120 mph. Several minutes into the chase, officer Jess Hartman noticed the Tesla was low on power. He radioed the dispatcher and said, “I...

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on October 04, 2019
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California Forced to Subsidize Natural Gas Plants to Prevent Widespread Blackouts

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Wind and solar are often touted as a way of reducing our electricity bills, and our dependence on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. However, the experience of California shows that these talking points are flat out wrong. There is no question that California has some of the most aggressive mandates for renewable energy production in the country. The state recently adopted a 100 percent "clean" energy mandate b 2045, with 60 percent of the state's electricity coming from renewable energy by 2030. A new law requires all new houses built in the Golden State to have solar panels on...

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on October 02, 2019
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Another One Bites the Dust: Federal Judge Rejects Challenges to PolyMet Land Swap

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Excellent news, as yet another lawsuit designed to delay the PolyMet mining project has been struck down in federal court. According to CBS: A federal judge has rejected challenges by several environmental groups to a land swap needed for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen dismissed the four challenges late Monday. She ruled that the groups lacked the necessary legal standing to block the land exchange between PolyMet and the federal government. She said that’s because PolyMet had not yet secured all the necessary permits to begin work, so the groups couldn’t establish that they’d been harmed. PolyMet...

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on September 30, 2019
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As $7,500 Federal Subsidies Expire, Electric Vehicles Are About to Get More Expensive

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

You may not have known this, but the federal government has been subsidizing electric vehicles (EV's) to the tune of a $7,500 tax credit for every electric vehicle sold. In fact, the subsidy is a major reason why we're starting to see more Tesla's tooling around the Twin Cities, but there's a catch: the subsidy begins to disappear after a manufacturer has sold 200,000 units, and Tesla has hit this threshold, meaning the growth of Elon's EV's could slow moving forward. The phase out of the tax credits comes at a bad time for Tesla, after the EV automaker announced it would...

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