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on November 21, 2019
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Help Us Stop Governor Walz From Imposing California’s Car Rules on Minnesota!

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

In late September, Governor Walz announced that he would seek to impose California's mandates for zero emission vehicles and low emission vehicles on Minnesota. Rather than passing this proposal through the normal legislative process, Governor Walz is trying to impose these rules on Minnesotans by instructing the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to draft the mandates forcing our state to comply with regulations drafted by unelected bureaucrats on the California Air Resources Board. Why wouldn't Governor Walz want to go through the legislative process where legislators can weigh the pros and cons of the proposal and vote accordingly? Probably because these regulations...

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on November 15, 2019
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Riders React to Rep. McCollum’s Views on Green Line Violence

Written by Tom Steward
in Crime, Transportation

To be sure Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum recognizes "every transit rider deserves a positive experience." Still she insists "we must address the social issues that contribute to challenges," according to the  St. Paul congresswoman's recent Star Tribune column on the increasing public safety threat to passengers on the Green Line. But McCollum's default to Democratic boilerplate rhetoric on the root causes of violence didn't sit well with many veteran transit riders of either political party. In fact, self-identified Minneapolis liberal Michael Brennan wrote a scathing counterpoint in the paper calling out McCollum's "troubling" views based on his first-hand experience on the...

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on October 16, 2019
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MnDOT Commissioner Pushes Big Gas Tax Increase

Written by Tom Steward
in Transportation

The Walz administration continues to put the pedal to the metal in its relentless determination to take another run at passing a huge gas tax increase in the 2020 legislative session. The governor's attempt this year to impose a whopping 20 cent per gallon gas tax hike--70 percent--went nowhere, partly thanks to American Experiment's grassroots campaign in opposition. RELATED: Minnesotans Narrowly Escape Gas Tax Increase Yet this fall MnDOT Commissioner Margaret Kelliher has been pitching a proposed 12 to 15 cent per gallon gas tax hike in meetings with regional newspapers. Not surprisingly, Kelliher found a receptive audience at the Mankato Free...

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on October 14, 2019
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Walz Doubles Down on Taxpayer Subsidies for Failed Amtrak Train Lines

Written by Tom Steward
in Government Waste, Transportation

The Walz administration's attempt to get Minnesota taxpayers to subsidize a proposed $550 million passenger train to Grand Casino Hinckley and Duluth-Superior came up empty with the failure to pass a bonding bill at the legislature this year. But outdated, wasteful government projects rarely fade away, they just get bigger and bolder. MnDOT now plans to double down on its $15 million request from this year in the 2020 legislative session, according to the Star Tribune. The $30 million funding request from state coffers would move Northern Lights into its final design phase, with service beginning in 2023. Rail planners say local and...

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on October 13, 2019
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Problems with Metro Transit Electric Buses Show the Technology Isn’t Ready for Primetime

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment, 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 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 Climate, Energy, Environment, 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 Climate, Energy, Environment, 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 September 27, 2019
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Three Must-Know Facts About Governor Walz’s Plan to Impose California Car Mandates on Minnesota

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment, Transportation

On Wednesday, Governor Walz announced that he would be using the bureaucratic rule making process to impose California’s rules for low and zero emissions vehicles (LEV and ZEV) on to Minnesota car buyers. While the Governor has tried to frame this as a win for consumer choice, Minnesota families, and the environment, the facts suggest that the Governor's proposed regulations are solution in search of a problem. Three facts you need to know about this proposal are: This is not about expanding consumer choice. It will mandate the sale of smaller, lighter cars that are not as safe as bigger, heavier...

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on August 16, 2019
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$200 Million More for Roads and Bridges Without Raising Gas Tax

Written by Tom Steward
in Transportation

What if we could have better roads and bridges without increasing the gas tax?  That's the last thing DFL Gov. Tim Walz wants to see, after attempting to raise the gas tax on Minnesotans by 70 percent this year. Yet that's exactly what's happened, thanks to a creative bipartisan solution worked out before Walz took office. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, one of the fiercest opponents of the gas tax hike, touted the new funding stream already flowing to our roadways without Walz's 20 cent a gallon increase in a column by chamber president Doug Loon in the West Central Tribune. Minnesotans today...

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