on January 15, 2020

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Friction Among Minnesota Greens and Blue Collar Workers Intensifies After PolyMet Delays

Written by Isaac Orr

On Monday, we got the news that Minnesota Court of Appeals dealt a setback to the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota by sending two crucial permits, the permit to mine and the dam safety permit, back to the Department of Natural Resources. The ruling, which also stated the agency must hold a contested case hearing, has opened a widened a rift between the environmental wing of liberal interests in Minnesota, and the blue collar workers who traditionally supported liberal lawmakers. A case in point is this statement from Jason George, who is the Business Manager for the Local 49...

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on August 09, 2019

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Capitalism is Saving the Planet Part Six: Minnesota Forests Are Flourishing

Written by Isaac Orr

in Environment, Minnesota Economy

Did you know that Minnesota's forests are flourishing? According to research from the U.S. Forest Service, forests account for 17.7 million acres of land in Minnesota out of a total of 54 million acres, meaning forest cover about 35 percent of the state. Furthermore, this number is increasing due in no small part to the fact that 51 percent of forested land in Minnesota is owned by the timber industry. From 2012 to 2017, Minnesota's forested land area increased by 755,000 acres, which equates to an increase of 1.7 percent. During this time, the number of live trees increased by one billion...

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on August 07, 2019

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St. Paul Green Party Mayoral Candidate’s Paper Straw Response to my PiPress Article Doesn’t Hold Up

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Last week I had an opinion editorial in the St. Paul Pioneer Press discussing how Minnesota's foray into wind and solar has led to higher electricity costs for no measurable environmental benefits. This prompted Elizabeth Dickinson, the former Green Party mayoral candidate for St. Paul to write a letter accusing me of using cherry-picked data. However, upon further scrutiny, the logic she uses in her letter to the editor holds up as well as paper straws. This sort of accusation is commonplace, but it does not make it correct. I've posted her letter below with my own thoughts about the points made...

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on June 28, 2019

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Rep. Gruenhagen Gets It on Energy and Minnesota’s Green New Deal

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment

There's been a fun exchange in the Litchfield Independent Review among Representative Gruenhagen and a member of the public who was defending the Green New Deal. The latest article features Rep. Gruenhagen lambasting the claims made by the writer and defending American Experiment's work on energy and economic issues from the typical ad hominem attacks that come our way from people who don't know how to do the math and evaluate our work for themselves. You can read the article for yourself below, and I'd encourage you to also read the article on the Litchfield Independent Review site so they get...

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on April 14, 2019

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MN Green New Deal, or Green Leap Forward? HF 2836 is the Latest in Minnesota’s Green New Deal Saga

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment

How many versions of a Minnesota Green New Deal (GND) will DFL lawmakers in the House of Representatives introduce before the end of the legislative session? Thus far at least three different versions have been introduced, each seemingly more energy illiterate than the last. HF 2836 lives up to this standard, and then says "hold my beer." 100 percent "carbon free" by 2030 without allowing large hydro or lifting the ban on new nuclear power plants "By 2030, 100 percent of the electricity each electric utility subject to subdivision 2a provides directly to Minnesota retail customers, or indirectly provides through wholesale sales to...

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on March 22, 2019

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Doubling Down on Failure Installment 1: Comparing the Costs of Wind and Solar, Nuclear, and Coal

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

As you probably know by now, American Experiment has released a new study entitled Doubling Down on Failure, How a 50 percent by 2030 Renewable Energy Standard Would Cost Minnesota $80.2 Billion. The study is more than 80 pages, including appendices and citations, so I will be breaking down the key findings in more manageable bites on the website. Today, I'll break down the four main energy scenarios we examined and why we chose them....

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on March 18, 2019

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Doubling Down on Failure Fact Sheet

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Minnesota currently has a law mandating that 25 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, by 2025. Some lawmakers have proposed doubling the renewable energy mandate (REM), requiring that 50 percent of our electricity be generated by renewable sources by the year 2030, and Governor Walz has proposed a 100 percent carbon-dioxide-free electric grid by 2050. This report chose to calculate the impact of a 50 percent REM, rather than a 100 percent REM, because research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows using wind, solar, and batteries to achieve 100 percent of electricity...

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on March 12, 2019

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American Experiment Releases Groundbreaking New Study on the High Cost of Renewable Energy Mandates in Minnesota

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

American Experiment is pleased to announce we are releasing a groundbreaking new study detailing the high cost renewable energy mandates in Minnesota. On the 2018 campaign trail, many DFL candidates, including Governor Tim Walz, said they would make obtaining 50 percent of Minnesota's electricity through renewable energy sources by 2030 a top priority in their policy platform. Now DFL'ers in Minnesota are pushing their own version of the Green New Deal, mandating that Minnesota must get 100 percent of its electricity from "carbon free" resources by 2050. Our study found that attempting to achieve a 50 percent renewable energy mandate would...

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on October 04, 2018

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Beware of “Conservative” Groups Pushing For Renewable Energy and Carbon Taxes

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Every year, millions of dollars are spent propping up astroturf groups that pretend to be conservative that push for decidedly unconservative policies including taxing carbon dioxide emissions and advocating for renewable energy. This happens both on the national level, and in states around the country. According to an article in the Daily Caller: "Wealthy charitable foundations spent $10 million on an effort that included handing money to conservative and libertarian think tanks and grassroots organizations to promote “a stable climate” and “a clean energy future” among other environmental issues, The Daily Caller News Foundation has found." "For example, two foundations that promote liberal energy...

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