A recent letter to the editor in the Star Tribune — from a Minnesota Department of Commerce official, no less — argued that “wind and sunshine are free.” Minnesotans are…
Yesterday, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission gave Xcel Energy approval to run the Prairie Island nuclear plant through the early 2050s. It’s the right move, but state law currently prohibits…
A major announcement for New York State, the U.K. Guardian reports: Kathy Hochul has announced plans to build a nuclear-power plant in New York, the first major new US plant…
Last week, the White House issued four executive orders designed to revitalize the U.S. nuclear industry. With Minnesota’s 1994 moratorium on new nuclear power plants, the state will be left…
A recent Gallup poll has found near-record support for nuclear energy as an electricity source. It would be common sense to repeal Minnesota’s ban on new nuclear power, but it…
Happy Earth Day! Today is a day to celebrate human flourishing and the ability of capitalism, innovation, and property rights to better conserve the environment than top-down mandates. Between 1970…
HF 2002, which would lift Minnesota’s nuclear moratorium, cleared the House energy committee last week. The bill’s next stop is the House floor. Current state law prohibits the Minnesota Public…
Xcel Energy proposed to issue a $318 million rebate to Minnesota customers in a press release on Monday. More than half of the refund ($176 million) will come from federal…
Yesterday, I testified on H.F. 1311 before the Energy Finance and Policy Committee. H.F. 1311 would allow utilities to only profit from the reliable portion of an energy asset. This…
The U.S. Energy Department, under the leadership of Secretary Chris Wright, announced its priorities last week in a Secretarial order. The order reads, in part: 1. Advance Energy Addition, Not…
HF 9 (same number even) was introduced, again, into the state House of Representatives yesterday. This is the same bill from before that would repeal the state’s ban on new…
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) published a brief on January 30, 2025, showing that the U.S. imports nearly all of the uranium concentrate used to power commercial nuclear reactors. In…
Today, on the floor of the MN House of Representatives, HF 308 was introduced, which would allow for the construction of new nuclear generators in Minnesota up to a capacity…
President Donald Trump has wasted no time in issuing executive orders to restore the U.S.’ energy dominance. His slew of actions has promised a renewed focus on critical minerals, expedited…
This week saw confirmation hearings for several Cabinet positions that will be crucial to defining energy and environmental policy under the Trump administration. Luckily, all take energy seriously and prioritize…
Today, the Biden administration directed the Departments of Energy and Defense to lease public lands to data centers — so long as they’re powered with “clean energy.” The order did…
I don’t know how anyone could’ve adequately followed all the energy and environmental news that happened this year without spending 40 hours a week on the subject (and even that…
Data center construction mean running natural gas plants longer for Xcel Energy, according to remarks by Ryan Long, president of Xcel Energy’s Minnesota and Dakotas division, at an MPUC conference…
I recently watched some early episodes of The Simpsons and came across a gem. In “Bart vs Thanksgiving,” Season 2, episode 7, Bart runs away from home after ruining Lisa’s…
With the new and growing electricity demand that artificial intelligence (AI) is putting on the grid, it seems like the smart money is on nuclear to power AI. Nuclear power…
Six communities will receive a combined $5.21 million in grant funding to “drive economic development and community sustainability” where power plants are scheduled to close or recently closed. The grants…
Constellation Energy and Microsoft announced an agreement last Friday to restart Three Mile Island, a nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It’s a victory for reliable energy and shows the…
The Wall Street Journal recently published an article highlighting a growing shortfall in nuclear engineers. Energy workforce development is too often entirely overlooked or taken to mean training wind and…
A May poll by Pew Research Center shows that a majority of Americans favor more nuclear power plants in the U.S. to generate electricity. Republican-leaning voters were more supportive of nuclear power…