on August 20, 2020

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Statewide View: California Car Mandates Not Right for Minnesota

Written by Isaac Orr

The following article originally appeared in the Duluth News Tribune. Statewide View: California Car Mandates Not Right for Minnesota Isaac Orr This week, the Center of the American Experiment crisscrossed the state of Minnesota to help educate residents about the Walz administration’s attempt to impose California’s car mandates on Minnesotans. These California car regulations would increase the cost of driving for Minnesotans up to $2,500 per vehicle while having zero measurable environmental benefits. The regulations would be all pain and no gain. They would put California — specifically the unelected bureaucrats on the California Air Resources Board, or CARB — in charge of deciding...

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on August 11, 2020

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How Much Metal Would A Minnesota Green New Deal Require? Part Two

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Last week I wrote about how converting Minnesota's electrical grid to a combination of nearly 100 percent wind, solar, and battery storage would consume enormous quantities of copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, and steel. While that analysis determined that huge amounts of these metals would be needed for "green" electricity, it is important to remember that electricity is only part of the energy equation, and if we wanted to completely get rid of fossil fuel from our energy economy, it would require much more metal. The pie chart below was created using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As you can see,...

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on August 04, 2020

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How much metal would a Minnesota Green New Deal require?

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

There is an interesting paradox among liberal environmentalists. One the one hand, they want a Minnesota Green New Deal where all the electricity in the state is provided by a combination of wind turbines, solar panels, and battery storage. On the other hand, they oppose mining for copper, nickel, cobalt, and other metals needed to build these energy sources, even though Minnesota has some of the largest undeveloped reserves of these metals in the world. Today, we'll conduct a rough estimate of how much metal would be needed to be completely reliant on wind, solar, and battery storage for electricity generation. Assumptions It's important...

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on July 16, 2020

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Biden’s New Energy Plan Is Terrible

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

On Tuesday, July 14, 2020, presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden released his updated plan for energy, which calls for expanding renewable energy mandates to meet a 100 percent carbon-free electric grid by 2035, spending billions of dollars on wind turbines, solar panels, and battery storage, an ill-conceived plan to make the entire fleet of school buses electric, a dedication to money-losing energy efficiency projects, subsidizing electric vehicles (EVs), and using taxpayer dollars to build EV charging stations. A child's Christmas list to Santa Claus is more realistic than this plan, but it is necessary for us to take a look at...

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on July 15, 2020

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Costs of Energy Efficiency Investments Are Double Household’s Energy Savings, Study Including Former Obama Economic Advisor Concludes

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Presumptive Democratic Presidential candidate, Joe Biden, recently released his Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force Recommendations, a document spanning 110 pages and covering issues like "combating the climate crisis and pursuing environmental justice." To accomplish this task, they state: "We will address barriers and increase funding for programs that enable energy efficiency improvements for low-income families in urban and rural areas, including through the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and the Rural Utilities Service." However, a recent study that included Michael Greenstone, who served as Chief Economist for President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, has found that the costs of energy efficiency expenditures under the Weatherization Assistance Program cost...

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on April 15, 2020

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Tune in at Noon Today to Learn Everything Wrong With Minnesota’s Green New Deal!

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz continues to march Minnesota toward a Green New Deal. Whether it's mandating Minnesotans be forced to comply with California car mandates, or attempting to force the electric grid to be 100 percent "carbon free" without the help of nuclear or large hydro, Walz's liberal, metro-centric worldview continues to drive up the cost of living for all Minnesotans. Click HERE to register! After the presentation, Isaac will answer your questions in a live audience Q&A. Submit your questions in advance by clicking here! Join us Wednesday, April 15 at 12:00 pm by signing up HERE! Questions? Contact Kathryn Hinderaker at kathryn.hinderaker@americanexperiment.org....

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on September 01, 2019

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Why the Green “Real” Deal, Is Just as Dumb as the Green New Deal

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

We all know that AOC's Green New Deal is a really dumb idea, but that hasn't stopped a Republican Congressman from Florida from proposing his own legislation that closely resembles the bad policies included in the original. Mark Mathis from the Clear Energy Alliance does a great job of demonstrating why the so-called "Green Real Deal" is bad policy wrapped in conservative-sounding language. https://youtu.be/O68m2OtIMyQ...

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on May 31, 2019

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Senator Osmek Unloaded on House DFL Energy Proposals, and It Was Glorious

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Senator David Osmek (R-Mound), who is the head of the Minnesota Senate energy committee, recently unloaded on the incredibly bad proposals brought forth by the DFL-led House of Representatives, and it was glorious. Soon after the video starts, Senator Osmek calls the energy section an abomination and an absolute failure. The video gives us a glimpse into the negotiations that occurred as the House and Senate attempted to reconcile the differences between their energy priorities. Throughout the negotiation process, both the House and Senate had the opportunity name legislation that would be a "non-starter" to be taken out, but it turns out...

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on April 16, 2019

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The Case for a Green ‘No Deal’

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Those who advocate for Minnesota's "Green New Deal" are not the adults in the room. How can one credibly claim that global warming is an "existential crisis," yet refuse to utilize the most reliable, affordable, and scaleable sources of carbon-dioxide free electricity available? I submit that they cannot. But do we need to make a Green New Deal at all? The following article argues that we do not....

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on March 27, 2019

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Even U.S. Senate Democrats Aren’t Crazy Enough to Vote For the Green New Deal

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Yesterday the U.S. Senate held a vote on the much discussed Green New Deal (GND). Interestingly, the non-binding resolution on the GND failed to get a even single vote, being defeated 0-57, despite the fact that several candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination are sitting senators who have voiced public support for the resolution. These senators include Corey Booker, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Amy Klobuchar. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was quick to pounce on the results, releasing the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j_Djv4Q74Q&feature=youtu.be Will Governor Walz get the message and pare back his own plan for a disastrous Green New Deal...

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