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on July 29, 2019
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American Frackers, Not Wind and Solar, Increase Our National Security

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Environment, National Security, Uncategorized

America has the strongest military might in the world. We have 3,476 tactical aircraft, 760 attack helicopters, 637 unmanned drones, 157 bombers, 2,831 tanks, 93 cruisers, destroyers, and frigates, 10 aircraft carriers, 68 submarines, 31 amphibious ships, and probably more supply trucks than you can shake a stick at. The one thing these military vehicles have in common? They ain't running on wind and solar. They're running on oil. In fact, the United States military is the single-largest consumer of oil in the world, using more than 100 million barrels every single year. Fortunately, the oil used to keep America safe is...

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on May 10, 2019
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America Is Partially Responsible for Venezuelan Crisis, But Not In The Way Representative Omar Thinks

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Environment

Representative Omar is in the news regarding her statements that U.S. actions are making the situation in Venezuela worse. On Democracy Now, Representative Omar stated: "“This particular bullying and the use of sanctions to eventually intervene and make regime change really does not help the people of countries like Venezuela, and it certainly does not help and is not in the interest of the United States,” she added." I don't disagree that it is possible for efforts to enact regime changes can have unforeseen and negative consequences, but there is a simpler explanation for Venezuela's downfall than sanctions and conspiracy. These explanations are socialism,...

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on April 09, 2019
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Walz’s Comments on Public Utilities Commission Appointment is an Ominous Sign for Line 3, Rational Energy Policy

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Line 3 opponents often argue the Governor should deep-six the oil pipeline replacement project because it would lock in oil use for the foreseeable future when we should, in reality be transitioning away from oil in favor of electric cars. But these arguments are pure wishful thinking with no basis in reality....

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on March 29, 2019
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The Dirty Secret Behind “Clean Energy”

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Renewable energy advocates often talk about wind and solar as "clean" energy resources, and talk about "dirty" fossil fuels, but how accurate is their assessment that renewables are actually clean? Not very. We've talked about the fact that wind solar, and batteries require massive amounts of copper, nickel, rare earth metals, lead, cadmium, and cobalt. Many times, these materials are mined in countries where there are few, if any, protections for the environment or workers. The Clear Energy Alliance has produced a very good video debunking the claims that fossil fuels are inherently dirty, and video shines a much-needed light on the...

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on February 03, 2019
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Dear Bernie: Oil Fuels Your Beloved Scandinavian Spending Spree

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Environment

With Bernie Sanders recently announcing he intends to seek the presidency, I thought it was a good time to share an article I wrote in January of 2016 which was originally published at Investor's Business Daily. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has often talked about his desire for the United States to emulate the socialist welfare states of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden by providing free college and health care and expanding Social Security. Sanders also wants to ban oil, natural gas, and coal production on lands owned by the federal government, and he has called for a ban on hydraulic fracturing, which has dramatically increased production of...

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on January 21, 2019
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Trump’s Energy Policies Bode Poorly for Putin

Written by Isaac Orr
in Uncategorized

Is Donald Trump in fact a Russian agent? In my opinion, the energy policies he's enacted make that implausible. President Trump is the exact opposite of his predecessor on energy policy. Where Obama sought to impede the production of American coal, oil, and natural gas, President Trump has sought to achieve "energy dominance" by approving the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines, several natural gas pipelines. leasing land for mineral exploration, lifting onerous Obama-era regulations on the electricity sector, and approving liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals to ship American natural gas all over the world. These efforts have paid dividends, as...

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on January 08, 2019
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Peter Foster: Another Report Reluctantly Admits that ‘Green’ Energy is a Disastrous Flop

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Despite being the beneficiaries of billions of dollars in subsidies, wind and solar compose just a tiny fraction of overall energy use in the United States. The pie chart below is from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and it shows that oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear power provide far more of our energy than wind and solar, which together account for about 3 percent of our total energy consumption....

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on December 04, 2018
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American Frackers Are Dismembering OPEC

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

OPEC used to to be the most influential cartel in the world. Even if the general public didn't know that OPEC stood for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, they were keenly aware of the power this  group held to raise, or lower, oil prices, and what impact gas prices had on their families. But many people don't realize the power of OPEC is withering under the onslaught of American oil produced on American soil. America's surging oil production is so disruptive to the cartel that the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar has announced it will leave the organization in January. This...

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