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…
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…
Last month, the owner of the Palisades nuclear plant signed an agreement to build two small modular nuclear reactors by 2030. If this is successful, these would be the first…
HF 9, which would repeal the state’s ban on new nuclear power plants, advanced this afternoon out of the House of Representatives’ energy committee. In addition to legalizing new nuclear…
Earlier this week, Meta (parent company of Facebook) sent out a request for proposals for nuclear-generated electricity beginning next decade. Reuters reports: Meta said on Tuesday it is seeking proposals from…
On Wednesday, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan tweeted: The Pioneer Press article she retweeted explains: After a several-month consultation process, the Minnesota Historical Society has agreed to return the “Mankato hanging…
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data show wind generation in Minnesota fell by 2.8 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, which is more than the 2 percent decline in wind…
It’s not clear why the bison falls into the category of Native American names and mascots subject to unanimous approval or not by Minnesota tribes, as ordained by the DFL-controlled…
On January 4, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued a two-page letter to Xcel Energy urging them to delay the closure of the two remaining units at the…
Yesterday, the Star Tribune ran a story about Xcel Energy’s plan to relicense both of its nuclear power plants in Minnesota (Monticello, and Prairie Island) to run for a total…
Why the United States is No Country for Old Wind.
On Thursday, March 16, 2023, Minnesota regulators announced they are monitoring the cleanup of a leak of 400,000 gallons of tritium-containing water at Xcel Energy’s Monticello nuclear power plant. Tritium…
A recent MinnPost article claimed that “clean energy is not only affordable, with the prices continuing to decrease, but also reliable and will lead us to energy independence.” It all…
After the Texas blackouts, American Experiment launched a campaign to educate Minnesotans about the importance of reliable energy and share that message with elected officials. In total, we’ve sent more…
I’m in an email chain of nuclear power supporters, many of whom live in Minnesota. We span the political spectrum, but I tend to be the most conservative. Sometimes we…
According to Xcel Energy, the largest electric utility company in the state of Minnesota, the closing of large “baseload” power facilities in favor of renewable energy sources like wind and…
On Tuesday, April 7, 2020, the Star Tribune ran a story entitled “New Suburban Solar Projects Part of a Wave of New Projects in Minnesota.” The article discusses businesses that…
Yesterday, I wrote about The Good aspects of the Minnesota State Senate’s Clean Energy First bill. Today I’ll talk about The Bad aspects, and tomorrow I’ll suggest ways to amend…
On April 20th, the Star Tribune ran a story entitled "Technology, Cost Could Hamper Efforts for 100 Percent Carbon-Free Grid in Minnesota by 2050." It was good to see the…
The Governor's lip-service to nuclear power appears to be a bait-and-switch. Nuclear is ok, just not existing nuclear or new nuclear.
The Star Tribune has published an opinion piece I wrote on how Minnesota's bitter cold should be a wake-up call for energy policy in our state. Instead of mandating the…
Minnesota has made meager progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions since 2005. And it has cost a fortune.
Supplying Competitive Electricity Rates | Not long ago, Minnesota’s energy policy focused on providing “adequate and reliable services at reasonable rates.” As a result, Minnesota benefited from low and competitive...