on July 02, 2020

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Bureau of Land Management Moves To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Twin Metals Project

Written by Isaac Orr

On Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that the agency will prepare a detailed Environmental Impact Statement to thoroughly analyze the potential environmental impacts of the proposed Twin Metals mine, which would produce copper, nickel, cobalt, and other precious metals. According to the BLM press release: “Under President Trump’s leadership and direction from the Secretary, this proposed mine may reduce the vulnerability to disruption of critical mineral supplies. If the plan of operation is approved, you can rest assured knowing that development and production of critical minerals is done in an environmentally responsible, regulatory-consistent, and economically feasible manner,” said William...

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on June 30, 2020

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House Democrats Propose Billions In Additional Subsidies for Wind, Solar, and Electric Cars

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment

Advocates of wind and solar power often argue that wind and solar power are now the lowest cost sources of electricity on the market, making them more competitive than fossil fuels and nuclear power. If this is true, why do the wind and solar industries keep asking for more subsidies? The answer, of course, is that wind and solar are entirely dependent upon the government subsidizing and mandating these products. Subsidies are so important to the wind industry that many companies stop taking good care of their turbines once the facilities are no longer eligible for the subsidies, according to an analysis...

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on June 29, 2020

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Michael Shellenberger: On Behalf Of Environmentalists, I Apologize For The Climate Scare

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment

Liberal politicians in Minnesota often use climate change as the justification for doing virtually anything they want. Governor Walz has delayed the replacement of an aging oil pipeline, attempted to mandate 100 percent of the state's electricity come from wind, solar, and batteries, despite the enormous cost, and he has also tried to force Minnesota to obey California's car regulations. All of these actions is predicated on their insistence that climate change is an existential crisis. But if these liberal lawmakers actually believe the world will end unless we act quickly, why don't they immediately end Minnesota's ban on new nuclear power...

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on June 25, 2020

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Great River Energy’s Battery Is More Publicity Stunt Than Source of Power

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment

Great River Energy's announcement that they would build a battery to help replace a coal-fired power plant received uncritical praise from the media and renewable groups, but a closer look at the proposed battery system shows this aspect of their plan is more of a publicity stunt than source of power....

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on June 10, 2020

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Electric Vehicle Costs Fall, But They’re Still Unprofitable

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment

Electric vehicles (EVs) have become a major focal point for liberal environmentalist groups and politicians who want to turn Minnesota into a Cold California by mandating California car regulations in our state, and pass legislation like the ECO Act that would force all Minnesota families to pay more for their electricity to subsidize electric vehicles. However, no matter how much the government tries to use a combination of force and subsidies to increase EV adoption in our state, they can't change the fact that most EVs are unprofitable. New research from Lux research shows that despite cost declines for EVs they are...

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on June 09, 2020

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Minnesota Still Has the Worst of Both Worlds With COVID19, Highest Death Rate Per Capita and Highest Unemployment Claims of Any Neighboring State

Written by Isaac Orr

in Coronavirus

A month ago, I wrote about how Minnesota was experiencing the worst of both worlds when it comes to COVID-19, with the state having both the highest death rate per 100,000 population, and the highest unemployment claims, as a percentage of the workforce, out of any neighboring state. It appears this statement is still true today despite the fact that each neighboring state has fewer economic restrictions in place than Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (MNDEED), more than 758,000 Minnesotans have filed for unemployment since March 16, 2020. According to the Tax Foundation, approximately 14.2 percent of...

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on June 03, 2020

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Online Dashboard Shows 82 Percent Electric Vehicles Are Registered in the Twin Cities

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment

Studies by federal energy agencies and universities often suggests that wealthy, urban areas have higher levels of electric vehicle (EV) ownership than relatively less affluent urban areas. An online dashboard created by Atlas Public Policy confirms this is also true in Minnesota....

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on May 29, 2020

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Minnesota Quitting Coal 9 Percent Slower Than The National Average, Despite Electricity Prices Rising 30 Percent Faster

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment

Many Minnesotans like to believe that Minnesota is a "green" state. However, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that Minnesota has reduced its's coal consumption by a slower rate than the nation as a whole from 2001 to 2018. Despite reducing it's coal consumption by a smaller margin than the national average, Minnesota has seen it's electricity prices increase 30 percent faster than the national average. In essence, Minnesota's energy policy has been a massively-expensive failure, and proposals to shut down the remainder of the state's coal plants and replace them with a combination of wind, solar, and natural...

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on May 17, 2020

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Conservatives Should Say No To Proposed Fuel Switching Provisions of Conservation Improvement Program Bill

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment

As this legislative session draws to a close, Minnesota lawmakers will be considering changes to the state’s Conservation Improvement Program (CIP). Among the changes considered are provisions that would allow the CIP program to fund fuel switching, which would allow utility companies to subsidize the switch from using natural gas to electricity in the case of home heating, or to subsidize the switch from conventional cars to electric cars. However, these changes will amount to government picking losers and increasing the cost of energy for Minnesota families and businesses who have already been battered by the economic fallout of the Coronavirus...

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on May 13, 2020

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How Does Minnesota Coal Use Stack Up Against China, the Whole United States?

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment

Xcel Energy bombards the airwaves to inform us that they plan to generate 100 percent of their electricity with carbon free resources by 2050. To accomplish this goal, Xcel plans to prematurely retire their coal-fired power plants and replace them with weather-dependent resources like solar and wind. American Experiment's modeling has concluded this plan will cost each Minnesota household more than $1,200 per year, every year, through 2050. For such enormous costs, one would hope that closing our coal plants would have a significant environmental benefit, but a look at coal consumption data from China, the United States as a whole,...

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