The Northstar commuter rail line in the northwestern suburbs has been a loser from the start of service in late 2009. The 38-mile line from Big Lake to Minneapolis never…
On January 21, 2021, Governor Walz announced his administration would require 100 percent of Minnesota's electricity to come from "clean energy" by 2040. The plan also seeks to increase mandates for…
On November 10, 2020 a group of environmental organizations wrote a letter to the Star Tribune stating an expanded Line 3 pipeline would be the carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent of…
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,…
Government-approved monopolies like Xcel Energy operate under a perverse incentive structure in Minnesota. The more these companies spend on new wind turbines, solar panels, and natural gas plants, the higher…
In Mid-August, more than two million California families and businesses lost their electricity during a record-breaking heat wave because the sun was setting, rending The Golden State’s fleet of solar…
Energy policy in Minnesota is a mess. Liberal politicians, profit-seeking, government-approved monopoly utilities like Xcel Energy, and environmental groups are pushing for the closure of Minnesota’s reliable coal-fired power plants,…
Last week the Minneapolis Star-Tribune ran an article entitled “Xcel Proposes $3B in Renewable Projects to Bolster Economy Dogged by Pandemic.” In the article, the author discusses Xcel’s plan to…
Yesterday, I wrote about how the Minnesota “Conservative” Energy Forum received nearly 86 percent its funding from the liberal Energy Foundation in 2017, the most recent year for which data…
Legislators in Minnesota who support mandating more wind and solar onto our electric often point to Germany as an example of we should be doing. Someone had better inform them…
Last session, the Minnesota legislature considered passing legislation called Clean Energy First (CEF). This bill, as the name suggests, would mandate utility companies in Minnesota to prioritize renewable and carbon-free energy…
As this legislative session draws to a close, Minnesota lawmakers will be considering changes to the state’s Conservation Improvement Program (CIP). Among the changes considered are provisions that would allow…
Xcel Energy bombards the airwaves to inform us that they plan to generate 100 percent of their electricity with carbon free resources by 2050. To accomplish this goal, Xcel plans…
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.
During the Democrat debate between Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice-President Joe Biden on Sunday, March 15, 2020, Vice-President Biden stated that he would allow “no new fracking.” However,…
Xcel exec testifies that customers pay triple the cost of solar energy.
I have a lot of policy disagreements with Xcel Energy, but I firmly believe it is important to give credit when credit is due. The video below is from last…
Governor Walz’s 2050 energy plan would increase household electricity costs to more than $15,000 per year.
In recent weeks more than 400 counties and cities in some 20 states have passed resolutions declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries. The movement stems from the trend toward proposal and…
A solar thermal plant in Nevada is the latest in the long list of Obama administration energy failures. The Crescent Dunes solar facility remains on the hook to repay $737…
In April of this year, Gov. Tim Walz’s administration suggested the economics of nuclear power likely make it too expensive to be part of his plan to produce 100 percent…
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.
This article originally appeared in today’s Pioneer Press. The version below is the same text, but with graphics added. Xcel Energy recently unveiled its plan to prematurely retire its coal…
Yesterday I posted about how India is building a lot of coal-fired power plants. These power plants would have a generation capability equal to building the Sherburne County (Sherco) coal-fired…