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on May 06, 2020
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State Fun Police Shut Down Creative Drive-in-Movie Night At Birch’s On the Lake

Written by Isaac Orr
in Culture

The War on Fun continues in Minnesota, as state health officials nixed a plan that would have allowed families to enjoy a drive-in-movie and a meal at Birch's On the Lake, a popular eatery in Long Lake, Minnesota, from the safety of their cars. The restaurant came up with the innovative idea because their revenues were down by 70 percent while doing only take out orders during Governor Walz's Stay at Home order, according to WCCO. Stir-crazy Minnesotans jumped at the chance to get out of the house and enjoy a movie. “It sold out in a day,” said Burton Joseph, the...

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on September 26, 2019
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If Governor Walz Had “Followed The Science,” We Would Have Started Building Line 3 Already

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Last week's decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court to deny a round of appeals attempting to further delay the construction of the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline was a rare win for energy sanity in the state of Minnesota, and a major loss for the anti-pipeline activists. According to the Duluth News Tribune: "The Supreme Court's decision not to review the opinion sends the crude oil pipeline's environmental impact statement back to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and shrinks what could've been an extended delay if members had agreed to hear the appeals. Public Utilities Commission Chair Katie Sieben in a news release said...

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on July 26, 2019
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Iron Range Legislators Clap Back At Anti-PolyMet Letter Written by 18 Metro-Area DLF’ers

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

It didn't take long for a bipartisan group of Iron Range legislators to clap back against the letter written by 18 metro-area DFL lawmakers urging Governor Walz to cancel all permits for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine, releasing this statement yesterday afternoon. I can't say it any better than the Iron Range lawmakers, so I'll leave it up to them to make the points. Iron Range Legislators Respond to Calls to Stop the PolyMet Permit The claims by metro legislators and anti-mining groups about PolyMet Mining are downright fabrications. It is very disappointing that people don’t know or don’t care what our...

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on June 03, 2019
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Duluth News Tribune: In Response: Judging Twin Metals Now is Premature, Purely Speculative

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

Last weekend the Duluth News Tribune ran an editorial from Dean DeBeltz of Twin Metals which argued that anti-mining groups who say Twin Metals cannot operate responsibly are basing these claims on speculation and not science. He could not be more correct. Twin Metals has yet to submit a mining plan, which means anyone who opposes the mine now is not objecting to any potential technical shortcoming in the design of the project, but rather they are opposed to mining in general, and are projecting this opposition onto the Twin Metals project. Unfortunately, this is par for the course. Anti-mining groups like Friends...

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on May 21, 2019
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Exclusive: Tesla Expects Global Shortage of Electric Vehicle Battery Minerals – Sources

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

It never ceases to amaze me how special interest groups who push for more renewable energy also oppose mining for copper, nickel, and cobalt in Minnesota. These sources of energy require enormous amounts of materials, but where will they come from if not Minnesota? Countries with few, if any, protections for the environment or miners. Some "environmental justice," eh? The following article originally appeared in Reuters:  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tesla Inc expects global shortages of nickel, copper and other electric-vehicle battery minerals down the road due to underinvestment in the mining sector, the company’s global supply manager for battery metals told an industry conference...

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on May 07, 2019
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Minnesota Now Fifth-Largest Mining State, It Could Have Been Number Two

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy

According to the United States Geological Survey, Minnesota mined $4.05 billion in non-fuel minerals in 2018, making it the fifth-largest state for mining, in terms of the value of minerals sold (excluding coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium). This is after Minnesota was in sixth place last year. Few people in the Twin Cities metro realize just how important mining is to Minnesota's economy, and to the nation's security. In 2018, mines in Minnesota and Michigan shipped 98% of the usable iron ore products in the United States with an estimated value of $4.1 billion. Minnesota has traditionally accounted for approximately...

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