on January 15, 2021

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Sad News: Closure Dates Announced for Boswell Power Plant

Written by Isaac Orr

Earlier this week, Minnesota Power announced the utility would be "coal-free" by 2035 by shutting down Unit 3 of the Boswell Energy Center in 2030 and converting Unit 4 to another fuel that is not yet specified in 2035. As we detailed in our Spring 2020 issue of Thinking Minnesota, Boswell is the backbone of the Iron Range economy. It provides the electricity needed for Minnesota's iron mines and paper mills to run smoothly. It would presumably be the source of electricity for the PolyMet mine should it ever emerge from legal purgatory. In my opinion, the national security implications of losing these...

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on January 13, 2021

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Chinese Solar Companies Tied to Slavery

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

The New York Times had an interesting article on January 8th detailing how the Chinese solar industry is tied to “forced labor,” which is also known as slavery....

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on December 22, 2020

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Clown Show: Union of Concerned Scientists Claims Nuclear Power Plants Are Not Clean Energy

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Apparently, the Union of Concerned Scientists isn't concerned about making sure that Minnesota does not experience the same kinds of rolling blackouts that California experienced in August when electricity demand soared as the sun was going down....

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on December 18, 2020

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Why Minnesota Power’s Electricity Isn’t Actually 50 Percent “Renewable” According to Minnesota’s Renewable Energy Mandates

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Minnesota Power announced that their electricity is now 50 percent renewable, but not according to Minnesota's renewable energy mandate....

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on December 17, 2020

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Robert Bryce: California’s Natural Gas Bans Are Drawing Fire From Black And Latino Leaders

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

The concept of "environmental justice" has gained increasing traction among liberal lawmakers who claim that past energy and environmental policies have left low income and minority communities less able to afford their energy bills than their more-affluent counterparts. It is true that our energy polices have made it more difficult for these communities to afford their energy costs, but it is the policies promoted by these liberal politicians that have made energy so unaffordable. California is the worst offender in this regard. Liberal politicians in California talk about the need for environmental justice while enacting the very policies that are harming low...

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on December 16, 2020

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Germany’s Energy Disaster 20 Years Later

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

When it comes to energy policy, legislators in Minnesota often cite Germany as an example of a shining star on a hill. This fondness for Germany probably stems from the taxpayer-funded trips that lawmakers take to experience the German Energiewende, or "Energy Transition." The ironic thing about their love affair with Germany is that the country's experiment with wind and solar power has been a total disaster, resulting in skyrocketing electricity prices and a failure to produce an electric grid that emits less carbon dioxide than the United States. You don't have to take my word for it, either. Vaclav Smil, a world-renowned...

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on December 14, 2020

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Industrial Customers to Be Hit Hard By Xcel Energy Price Increases

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Huge increases in the cost of electricity for Xcel Energy's industrial customers mean it will eventually be too expensive for anything to be "Made in Minnesota."...

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on November 20, 2020

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Minneapolis Energy Grants Will Raise Energy Prices For Everyone Else

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Elected officials in Minneapolis don't seem to understand that there is no such thing as a free lunch. That's why their idea of assisting small businesses hurt or destroyed in the riots this summer is to give out $1.17 million in energy grants aimed at small businesses owned by people of color, immigrants and those affected by this year's civil unrest, according to the Star Tribune. The City Council and the Mayor clearly believe this is the right thing to do, but their faith in the effectiveness of their approach shows they don't really understand how energy prices work in Minnesota,...

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on November 19, 2020

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Wind and Solar Developers Don’t Want To Pay Their Own Costs To Connect To The Grid

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Despite bold-sounding announcements on decarbonizing America from progressive politicians and profit-seeking, government-approved monopolies, the biggest impediment to a world powered by wind, solar, and batteries is not political opposition from unwashed conservatives, it is reality. This truth was on display in a recent article in RTO Insider, which stated that the transmission upgraded needed to connect new wind and solar facilities to the grid costs too much. The cost is so high that wind and solar developers are abandoning their projects, which is great news for Minnesota families, seniors, and businesses. "MISO West — which includes Minnesota, Iowa, parts of the Dakotas and...

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on November 18, 2020

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Line 3 Opponent, Winona LaDuke, Unhinged on Almanac

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Last week, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Pollution Control Agency approved permits for the Line 3 oil pipeline operated by Enbridge. As we have noted many times, the current Line 3 is corroded and operating at half capacity to reduce the risk of an oil spill, and replacing this project is the right thing to do for the environment and Minnesota's economy. However, not everyone sees it this way. On Almanac last week, anti-pipeline activist and executive director of Honor the Earth, Winona LaDuke, made several statements that were factually inaccurate and she even called the pipeline the ecological equivalent of...

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