Last week, Walker Orenstein of the Star Tribune reported on a remarkable situation in Grand Meadow, Minnesota. He reports from a neighbor’s point of view: Trucks dropped off more than…
Duluth-based electric utility Minnesota Power (MP) announced this week that they had received approval from the state’s Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) for a $1 billion upgrade of an existing interstate…
Coal and natural gas power are currently supplying more than 76 percent of the region’s electricity. Both fuels will be banned in Minnesota. Here was the fuel mix for the…
A recent economic working paper has found something that should be no surprise to anyone: Wealthier households reap the most benefit from U.S. tax credits for heat pumps, solar panels,…
The Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator (MISO), of which Minnesota is a part, is warning of capacity shortfalls next summer. MISO’s press release suggests a potential shortfall of 2.7 GW, though…
There is no sense in which a solar power plant, however large, could substitute for the round-the-clock electricity provided by a coal-fired power plant. Yet, here we are. The Minneapolis…
On Tuesday, Vineyard Wind was ordered to shut down until further notice to clean up the shards of a turbine blade that failed Saturday. Six Nantucket beaches were closed for…
The last two coal plants in New England are scheduled to be shuttered by Granite Shore Power by 2028. While New England doesn’t use much coal, little else suffices when…
The on-again, but reliably off-again wind turbines operated by Willmar Municipal Utilities appear to be headed for the scrap heap, five years sooner than expected upon installation in 2009. For…
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is preparing to award grant funding for 13 electric vehicle charging station sites. The sites will receive a combined total of $7.8 million, with individual…
After submitting nearly twice as many signatures as the 17,500 needed for a referendum, opponents have succeeded in putting the fate of a controversial new law tied to a proposed…
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Century Aluminum is planning to build the country’s first new smelter in 45 years. That could be good news, if the company can…
This is not a list you want to rank high on. This headline caught my eye last week: Energy costs: These are the states paying the most, least So, I…
Last week, Pew Research Center released new polling that shows that “relatively few Americans” believe the U.S. should phase out fossil fuels entirely. Instead, about 7 out of 10 favor…
The EPA recklessly endangers U.S. electricity generation.
Mining restrictions and impossible EV requirements are on a collision course with reality.
I’ve seen this movie before, and I know how it ends. The headline last week in the ND Reformer reads: North Dakota officials object to Minnesota carbon-free energy law in public…
More than two and a half years after filing for a permit, Summit Carbon Solutions has finally gotten crucial approval from Iowa regulators for the first leg of a nearly…
Adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has dropped to its lowest level since August 2021, according to the J.D. Power EV index. The index showed that while consumer interest in EVs…
The office of Gov. Tim Walz issued this press release yesterday announcing new grants for energy industry jobs. The headline, Governor Walz Announces Funding to Train Underrepresented Workers for Clean…
The National Center for Energy Analytics has estimated that a fully-electric vehicle (EV) future would cost between $2 trillion and $4 trillion. Moving to 100% EVs will impose enormous infrastructure…
Regional energy regulators are meeting in Minneapolis to make your life “better.” An organization you’ve never heard of is meeting in Minneapolis this week and why should you care? I’ll…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released its 2024 Summer Energy Market and Electric Reliability Assessment last week. U.S. electricity demand is “expected to increase 2.7% this summer” compared to…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a “watershed transmission planning” order [this month] that would force the costs of state renewable energy mandates onto consumers in other states. While…