Project Letters

Congressional District MN01

By Ed Hahn. Published in the Winona Post 12/27/2023 and Winona Daily News 12/23/2023

Electricity. From that first cup of coffee in the morning to our laptops at work to texting our friends and family on the latest iPhone, our modern lives are dependent on electricity. We don’t even give it a second thought unless suddenly we don’t have it.

Over the last 150 years, the United States has grown into the world’s largest economy, fueled in large part by our heavy investment in infrastructure that connects one coast to the other and everywhere in between. According to the Energy Information Agency (eia.gov), the United States produced 4,243,136 gigawatt hours of electricity (a record) in 2022. The problem is that this electricity must be transmitted from where it is generated to the people who use it. And the nationwide system of transmission lines is not keeping up with current demand.

The United States is increasingly experiencing a gap between production/consumption and the ability to transmit electricity to where it is needed when it is needed. Consider the high-profile failures of our current energy infrastructure in the recent past: the 2022 polar vortex that impacted most of the country, the California heat waves of 2020 and 2022, the 2019 heat wave, and 2021 deep freeze in Texas, as well as the polar vortex of 2014 that struck the Midwest and Northeast. These events resulted in high electrical demand for cooling and heating that the system could not meet, collectively costing the United States hundreds of billions of dollars. But many of these grid failures could have been prevented if the U.S. had a more robust energy grid with the capacity to efficiently transmit electricity from one region of the country to another. And as this past summer has demonstrated, these extreme weather events are not going away anytime soon, but rather becoming the norm.

Thankfully, the “Building Integrated Grids With Inter-Regional Energy Supply Act” or the “BIG WIRES” Act (S.2827/H.R.5551) exists to meet this challenge.

This act is a tech-neutral approach that does not favor one form of energy production over the other. Rather, it works to ensure that we have the means to deliver energy when and where it is needed. The United States has a growing need for electricity, yet at the same time, new energy production and capacity remains offline. An article published on CNBC.com on April 6, 2023, reported that while the United States currently has a national grid capacity of about 1,250 gigawatts, we also have 2,020 gigawatts of new energy production sitting unused, waiting to be connected.

BIG WIRES also creates and maintains construction jobs, allows energy producers of all types to sell at fair market rates (avoid selling at a loss during times of low regional demand due to inability to redirect and share excess power), increases energy resilience and security from cyber threats, and lowers energy costs for families and businesses.

So what’s the bottom line? We need bigger and better transmission capacity across the United States. This act would require each region to invest in its transmission infrastructure in order to be able to transfer 30% of peak demand between regions by 2035. This would be done through constructing new transmission lines, installing and updating power flow controls and grid-enhancing technologies, and encouraging energy efficiency and new power generation to free up capacity and meet demand.

I encourage you to contact our Congressional delegation — Rep. Brad Finstad, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Sen. Tina Smith — and encourage them to support the BIG WIRES Act to secure our energy future.

Ed Hahn, Winona

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By Cheryl Campbell. Published in the Rochester Post Bulletin 4/6/2024.

On March 21st, U.S. House Resolution 86, which states that a carbon tax is detrimental to the U.S. economy, passed in the House and will advance to the Senate Finance Committee. Resolution 86 claims a carbon tax is bad for business, hinders American global competitiveness and ingenuity, and hurts families. This isn't so. A U.S. industrial policy that taxes fossil fuels takes advantage of the free market’s ability to steer investments toward alternative technologies and reward clean energy producers that deliver services reliably and efficiently, which in turn accrues profits and market share to them.

A smartly implemented carbon tax can create resilient domestic clean energy supply chains. That means jobs, which should appeal to both sides of the political spectrum. This tax need not "disappear" into public coffers. Tax proceeds could go towards electrical grid modernization, household rebates, training, or be redistributed to citizens as a tax credit (much as Alaska pays its citizens a “dividend” based on oil taken out of the ground.) There are many tax policies that drive business decisions: tariffs, equipment depreciation, credits for technology adoption, and Opportunity Zones are but a handful. Let's not take away carbon taxes as a tool for U.S. industrial policy! Concerned residents should contact their legislators to say “no” to Resolution 86 and “Yes” to state legislation for the Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act (HF4700/SF4784), and the co-location of high voltage transmission and communications infrastructure in existing highway rights-of-way (HF3900/SF3949).

Cheryl Campbell, Citizens Climate Lobby Rochester Chapter

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By Richard Dahl. Published in the Winona Post 5/8/2024.

The cost of doing nothing on climate change

After years of warnings that climate change is getting worse but its worst consequences could be avoided if steps were taken to keep global warming from increasing no more than two degrees, a new study published in Nature and reported by CNN states the world is now heading toward a gain of nearly 3 degrees in the next century. 

The short-term financial damage being brought by climate change already outweighs the cost of trying to solve the crisis. This means that financial pain from these changes is now unavoidable “even if governments ramp up their efforts to tackle the crisis now,” according to CNN. For many Americans “this financial loss will require difficult decisions about how to pay for food, housing and other daily expenses which climate change will increase by approximately 9 percent over their lifetime,” the study’s authors wrote.

However, immediate action to reduce climate change could stem some losses in the longer term. Urge Brad Finstad, our Minnesota District 1 representative in Congress to support proposals such as the Carbon-Fee-and Dividend bill to take steps in this direction.

Richard Dahl, Winona

Congressional District MN03

By Mark Cannon. Published in Minnpost 10/27/2023

Bloodsuckers on my mind, and not just in advance of Halloween

It’s the season for frightening ghouls so let me tell you about a couple little bloodsuckers that scare me.

As the climate warms, the home range for the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus is moving north, and with them we can expect to see more of the untreatable viral diseases they transmit. Dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya and zika cause untold human suffering throughout the tropical world, and the societal costs in lost revenue and health care are staggering.

Indeed, these and other “tropical” diseases are largely responsible for the dire financial situation in many developing countries.

How did we get to a point in snowy Minnesota where we have to think about tropical diseases? Climate change, that’s how.

Even slightly warmer winters and an earlier spring foster increases in mosquito numbers, expand their geographic range and accelerate the development of infectious organisms within the host mosquitoes.

Furthermore, modern transportation means people and foodstuffs can travel hundreds of miles in a day. So it is only a matter of time before virus meets host insect, who in turn feeds on unsuspecting Minnesotan human lounging lakeside.

Fevers, malaise, headaches and joint pain ensue; local physicians, at first mystified, soon realize they need to bone up on their tropical medicine. We need to prevent this scenario becoming a reality.

Aside from warmer average temperatures, climate change means an increase in severe weather events. Flooded sewage systems and overcrowding due to home and infrastructure damage lead to emergence of food- and water-borne illnesses.

Salmonella, shigella, campylobacter, yersinia, leptospirosis and typhus are not words you ever want to see on your test results. These pathogens cause prolonged illness and even death in vulnerable populations like the very young, old, or immunocompromised. Virtually any major flooding event you care to review will have been associated with upticks in these food- and water-borne illnesses.

Infection is by no means the only health risk associated with climate change. To protect our health, our peace and our economy we need to work furiously hard now with the rest of the world on new technologies, strategies and attitudes to minimize our dependence on carbon-based fuels.

The good news is that more politicians, policymakers and leaders of industry are signing on to make a difference. You can, too: by speaking to your representatives, by joining your local chapter of climate activists and by supporting legislation designed to let renewable energy fulfill its potential as a job-creating economic driver and climate change solution.

Mark Cannon, Eden Prairie. Mark Cannon is a local practicing infectious diseases physician and former laboratory virologist. 

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By Jeff Strate. Published in Eden Prairie Local News 4/9/2024

Local advocates rally for Earth’s future

The local chapter of an international climate change initiative with some 530 chapters returns to Immanuel Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie on Saturday, April 13, for its monthly meeting. April is Earth Month.

The MN West Suburbs chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) urges legislators in St. Paul and Washington, D.C., to act more quickly to address the earth’s warming.

Immanuel Lutheran parishioner Pat Middeke has been working for and leading the local CCL for about a decade. These days, she serves as an activist and church host for the nonprofit, nonpartisan posse of citizen lobbyists. Its mission is one with Minnesota’s 12 other chapters.

Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) attended the local CCL’s meeting in December 2023 and discovered its members to be amiable, open-minded, and motivated to persuade elected officials to act boldly and swiftly.

Here’s what EPLN learned and heard during a group chat.

Group co-leader Nicola Philpott shared a confession, a not uncommon one: “I have a 12- and a 13-year-old, and I worry about their mental health. I have to worry about how I am putting climate to them. And I focus on solutions all the time. I do not want to talk about the gloom of it, because it paralyzes people.”

Winnie Lindstam responded to Philpott’s comment: “Yeah, you’re right. If they can be part of the solution, what an exciting thought.”

Group co-leader Scot Adams has lived in Eden Prairie since 1997. “I see legislative action and lobbying as a primary mover of change,” he said. “We need a lot more engagement with our legislators.”

Edina’s Paul Thompson refers to those within his white-haired age set who remain uncomfortable sharing their thoughts publicly. “For Minnesotans who are shy (speaking out), this is what we need to do,” he said. “And as we get older, what do have to lose?” Echoing the trumpeting for reform at countless global warming conferences, Thompson said, “We need to show up, stand up and speak up.”

Lindstam, a retired reinsurance broker familiar with homeowner insurance companies during times of violent weather, said, “I tell people if you want to move to Florida, move to Orlando because that’s where the coast will be.” Lindstam is the group’s liaison to U.S. Rep. Dean Phillip’s office.

Dr. Dave Homans is a retired cardiologist who lives in St. Louis Park. “One of the things I really like about CCL is the way we do our work, which is when we meet with lobbyists,” Homans said. “We get to know them as people. We develop personal relationships which are as important, if not more important, than anything we could say.”

Eden Prairie’s Caude Buettner shared his thoughts on exponential population growth. “We have 8.1 billion people,” he said. “When I was born, we had 2.5 billion. It’s possible that in 75 years, there will (again) only be 2.5 billion people on the planet.” He feels that future population growth can not be sustained. He says politicians don’t have to do anything unless people in the streets force the issue.

Peace Corps veteran Becky Jasper served in Zaire from 1989 to 1991. These days, she works with a nonprofit that awards grants to promising women entrepreneurs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). Jasper told EPLN, “We need to take care of our home and not just move to Mars. Right?” She is also in concert with most other CCL members who find it important to put a price on carbon emissions.

Terry Degner has retired from driving Eden Prairie School District buses and misses the primary school kids. Degner has been a video producer, self-published author, and Vietnam veteran. He commanded the gathered that Saturday morning with urgent, preacherly gravitas. He talked about the sign that hangs in his office that says, “For those who believe in the Kingdom of God, what does it matter if everything earthly crashes.”

Population growth and materialism, he figures, are destroying the planet. He’s worried for his children and grandchildren.

Like Degner and Buettner, Eden Prairie’s David Thomsen considers himself a partial “doomer,” a term for people who believe it’s too late to halt the effects of global warming, including rising temperatures, ice melt, and increasingly severe weather events. Despite their concerns, he and others continue to attend these meetings. Thomsen reminded the group that, in fact, progress is being made. The technology and the means to produce and use cleaner energy already exist.

In December, Greg Jason reported on the statewide goals of CCL at the Minnesota Legislature, which would be open for deliberation from Feb. 12 through May 30. The retired environmental engineer serves as the statewide team leader of CCL MN. He seemed practical, tactical and optimistic.

During a phone chat with EPLN and a follow-up email letter on Wednesday, April 3, Jason reported that Senate File 4784, the Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act, had garnered bipartisan support. The bill has yet to receive bipartisan support in the House, but he anticipates, or maybe hopes, that it will happen during this session.

If passed, this highly technical reform legislation would increase the energy supply, protect the environment, and “allow community voices to be heard,” Jason said. He added that it would reduce carbon emissions at the speed and scale required for clean energy.

Similar bills are being considered in other states and Washington, D.C.

Jeff Strate, Eden Prairie Local News

Congressional District MN05

By Dave Homans. Published in the St. Louis Park--Hopkins Sun Sailor 1/4/2024.

Resolve to help the environment in 2024

This year, make a New Year's resolution to help save our climate. St. Louis Park is here to help.

We can improve on the annual ritual of pledging to eat less and exercise more. In-stead, why not resolve to help our planet become a better, more livable place for all? Whether it's a home energy audit, electrifying appliances, purchasing an electric vehicle, converting to renewable forms of electricity, or installing a cold climate heat pump, there is so much we can do in our own lives today that will benefit our children and children across the globe.

If you are looking for a place to start, visit the rewiring America website (www. rewiringamerica.org) to see what the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act can mean for you. And those of us living in St. Louis Park are doubly fortunate because our city government is willing and able to guide us and save us money as we tackle climate change one household at a time.

This new year, visit our city's sustainability page at www.stlouisparkmn.gov/ sustainability and decide what you will do to preserve our home. And if you still want to resolve to get more exercise, no problem - riding your bike and walking (rather than driving) are two great ways to cut down on fossil fuel consumption!

Dave Homans, St. Louis Park

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By Paul Thompson. Published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune 1/2/2024.

An all-around inspiration

JANUARY 2, 2024

Jessie Diggins made history with this gold medal in March, just one of several accomplishments for her in 2023.

Thanks to Rachel Blount for her fantastic recognition of Jessie Diggins ("In highs and lows, finding room for joy," Dec. 26), our Minnesota homestate hero and the Star Tribune's Sportsperson of 2023. Also thanks to the Strib for its constant coverage of our "shrinking ski season" (Readers Write, Dec. 18) and water shortage ("Making snow, from the groundwater up," (Dec. 12).

Besides all of Jessie's huge contributions as Olympic champion, inspirational teammate, spokesperson for eating disorders and role model for thousands of young (and old) Nordic skiers, Jessie is a concerned citizen.

Ms. Diggins is a board member for POW (Protect Our Winters); she is an endorser of Citizens' Climate Lobby's legislation the "Energy Innovation Act" (a carbon fee and dividend policy to help reach the Paris emission goals by 2050). She has testified before Congress on the impact climate change is having on her sport and the huge carbon footprint necessary to find snow to train on.

As a 44-year Birkie (North America's largest cross country ski race) skier and City of Lakes Loppet supporter, I am reminded this winter of the urgency we all need to embrace to support our state in reaching the lofty goals set by our Legislature (100% carbon-free electricity by 2040) and to do it in a nonpartisan way. Winter, water and loons don't give a damn if you are a Democrat or a Republican. We are all Minnesotans and we love our seasons.

As we hoist our new state flag on May 11, let's all find a way to find our inner Diggins, inspire our friends and families to take the simple steps to transition toward clean energy, and show the care for our environment that supports our passions as Minnesotans. Citizenship takes work. Contact your national and local leaders requesting action.

Paul Thompson, Edina

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By Roger Day. Published in the Star Tribune 3/11/2024

We need big wires, stat

The article published on March 2 "Northern Foundry will close Hibbing facility, lay off 91 workers" noted that high utility rates was one reason for the closure. It also said: "The state's entire electric grid is undergoing transformation as renewable energy sources are straining capacity, requiring new high-voltage transmission lines." Another article published on March 5 ("Xcel wary of open market power") noted the same strain on the electric grid, adding: "That can be especially troublesome during extreme weather events, which have become more frequent and severe."

Renewable energy is the cheapest form of power today (per a recent United Nations report), but we cannot realize the full benefit if this energy cannot be transmitted efficiently, or if the transmission is jeopardized by weather events. A bill before Congress addresses the problem by improving the reliability of the energy grid. The aptly-named Big Wires Act would encourage the states to build the infrastructure needed to move clean energy, along with new transmission lines. Learn more by looking up Citizens Climate Lobby and the Big Wires Act. Take action by contacting your U.S. representative and your senators, and ask them to support the bill. Let's get that clean energy moving!

ROGER B. DAY, Duluth, Minn.

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By David Homans. Published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune 3/24/2024.

Look to our own shores for energy

The era of offshore wind has come to the U.S.! ("United States' first large offshore wind farm opens," March 15.)

To save our climate and protect future generations we must develop safe, reliable and affordable sources for electricity — without burning fossil fuels. This requires complementary energy sources; solar panels are great, but it isn't always sunny. We are bordered on two sides by states that generate large amounts of electricity from wind power, and coastal states are now joining the club. Having sailed Lake Superior, I believe we have a large supply of untapped wind power right there.

There is no perfect source of energy, and concerns have been raised about bird collisions, intermittency, blade recycling, etc. These concerns are important but are not deal-breakers. We can pursue and improve this very good solution, without requiring it to be perfect prior to implementation. This winter shattered all heat records and serves as a serious warning that waiting for perfection is dangerous. Climate change itself poses a far greater risk to birds than windmill collisions.

And thankfully this will not break our pocketbook. According to a 2019 Department of Energy report, the cost of producing electricity from wind is well below natural gas, and that calculation does not include repairing all the damage done by the climate warming caused by burning fossil fuels.

Let's not fall behind other states by ignoring the bountiful resource that lies just off our northeast "shore." We can harness the wind and progress toward the goal of self-sufficiency in electrical energy for Minnesota.

Dave Homans, St. Louis Park

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By Laura Haule. Published in the Star Tribune 3/29/2024

On permits, look forward, not back

An opinion in the Star Tribune authored by Jason George and Jim Schultz ("Let's team up on permitting reform," March 25) advocated for speeding the permitting process for more manufacturing projects. They acknowledge that there is state legislation to speed permitting of renewable energy projects and that permitting reform should be happening in many other industries, such as natural gas, agriculture, food production, timber, paper and mining, among others.

Although Minnesota lost a pig iron processing plant to North Dakota, industries such as coke production and iron and steel have higher greenhouse gas emissions related to energy consumption from burning fossil fuels. In the absence of a national penalty on fossil-fuel use, Minnesota is legislating lower fossil-fuel emission targets over the next decade. Why would the state be anxious to permit high-emission industries here, knowing that greenhouse gas emissions would rise? Local residents might well object to these dirty plants being located near their communities and insist on local participation early in the permitting process to protect themselves. We have all read about agricultural waste and fertilizer runoff into soils, streams and local water supplies and wells. Cutting more timber releases the carbon sequestered in the old-growth trees. Paper production, logging and mining create high demands for energy and are also industries fraught with pollution problems. We are experiencing a multiyear struggle in opposition to mines and mine runoff in the northern part of the state, an area of many interconnected lakes and rivers where pollution from mining would not stay safely in a contained area but would potentially pollute widely in those vulnerable lakes and community water sources.

The industries the authors mention are those in which water, air or soil pollution might be more likely or community safety might be more at risk. How are other states with high environmental standards able to approve industry permits at a faster rate than Minnesota? It is surprising to me that the authors are not addressing these issues in their article. For fossil-fuel-intensive projects, permitting would require greater assurances that our mutual environmental future is not at risk.

I am in favor of speeding up the permitting process especially for renewable energy and grid-improvement projects. We are experiencing ever greater demand for clean renewable energy. With more clean energy, we can have more agriculture and manufacturing that do not rely on petrochemicals and fossil fuels. It is wasteful to build more fossil-fuel infrastructure when we are transitioning away from fossil fuels, as we must do for a stable climate and a safer future.

Laura Haule, Minneapolis

Congressional District MN07

By Earl Knutson and the Willmar Area Climate Action Group. Published in the Lakes Area Review, New London, MN, 1/13/2024.

The Willmar Area Climate Action Group seeks to take immediate local action to address the urgent issue of climate change and empower our community to support broad-scale solutions.

The intensity of modern forest fires

In 2023, the Minnesota Department of Health issued 24 warnings due to smoke from a months-long forest fire in Canada. This was a high number, raising the question, "Is there something new about forest fires?" The book Fire Weather by John Vaillant presents evidence that yes, there is something new. Modern fires are often so intense that they create their own weather events.

The central part of this bock is a detailed account of the May 2016 forest fire around and in Fort McMurray, AIberta, Canada. This account is based on interviews of inhabitants who experienced the fire, many of whom are named and directly quoted in the book. It was reported that, once the fire invaded Fort McMurray, the intensity was such that houses were leveled in a matter of 5 minutes. The fire caused the evacuation of 85/00 people, only firefighters stayed. Miraculously, all survived.

The author tells of modern forest fires in other places.

• The 2002-2003 fire near Canberra, Australia spawned the first known occurrence of a fire-driven funnel cloud - a tornado. "Fire weather" is an apt description.

•  In August 2017, four large fires in British Columbia combined to loft smoke into the stratosphere where the jet stream carried it around the globe for four months.

• In July of 2018, the Carr Fire forced the hurried evacuation of 40,000 people from Redding, California. Among the debris found later was a steel tractor seat "crumpled like a paper plate" indicating the high temperature reached in the fire.

•  In 2020, large forest fires in Australia, California, and Oregon lofted smoke and dust into the stratosphere, comparable to moderate volcanic eruptions.

The author ties the intensity of 21st century forest fires to mankind's heavy use of fossil fuels, causing global warming. Heat waves and droughts hit the boreal forest, enabling fires to burn hotter and spread faster and farther than in earlier times.

In this wide-ranging book, the author goes into the history of the petroleum industry, of climate science, and of climate policy. There were climate change warnings by scientists in the 1950s and '60s, including by Edward Teller (of Hydrogen bomb fame). For a time the American Petroleum Institute (API) had a carbon dioxide and climate committee and the industry supported research on climate change. 

In the 1980s, the pendulum in the USA swung. As described by Vaillant. there was a retrenchment. Skepticism of science, scientists, and government grew. The watchword was, "The government is the problem." The API committee was dropped. Industry support for research morphed into questioning of climate science. The climate bright spots were James Hansen’s 1988 testimony before congress and the 1989 formation of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Although data and knowledge continued to accumulate, meaningful action was delayed for decades.

The Willmar Area Climate Action Group seeks to take immediate local action to address the urgent issue of climate change and empower our community to support broad-scale solutions. The group meets on the third Monday of each month, in person and via Zoom. To join, e-mail: wacug2@ ginail.com. More info at: Facebook.com/WACAG.

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By Claudia Egelhoff. Published in the Swift County Monitor-News 2/28/2024 and The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead 2/27/2024/.

Legislative Clean Energy Action Needed

I read with interest Lee Hamilton's recent column in the Monitor-News about "Big Decisions and American History." I am reminded of another big decision made in the 1930's - to bring affordable electricity to farms.

By 1930, nearly 90% of urban and non-farm rural homes had electricity but only about 10% of farms did. Private utility companies balked at the cost of connecting farms to the grid. 1936, the federal Rural Electrification Act (REA) authorized loans to newly formed cooperative utilities to build out the grid, wire farm homes and outfit them with lights and appliances.

REA engineers developed new technologies that dramatically reduced the cost of bringing power to far-flung homesteads. Federal investment boosted productivity on the farm and saved hours of housework with electric lighting energy. It took several generations but we finally realized that burning fossil fuels harms our health, degrades our climate, and threatens our national security. This made rural life more attractive, reducing the incentives to move away.

We are currently embarked on another "Big Decision" with federal and state investments in reliable, affordable, safe, and clean energy. It took several generations but we finally realized that burning fossil fuels harms our health, degrades our climate, and threatens our national security.

Renewables are increasingly competitive with traditional forms of energy. Battery storage technology is rapidly advancing. Clean energy moves us closer to energy independence from oil-producing countries.

Clean energy reduces emissions, stabilizes our climate, and protects the environment.

If you like this vision, contact your members of the legislature: Sen. Torrey Westrom (651-296-3826) and Rep. Paul Anderson (651-296-4317). Tell them you want energy that is reliable, affordable, safe, and clean.

Claudia Egelhoff, West St. Paul

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By Beth Monke. Published in the Fergus Falls Daily Journal 1/6/2024 

Out With the Old, In With the New

You’ll have certainly just recently sung Auld Lang Syne and rung in a new year, hoping for a good 2024!  In the world of climate science, we all must hope for a better 2024, given that 2023 was the hottest year on record, and the past 9 years have all broken records for being the hottest.  In 2023 climate pollution from human fossil fuel combustion reached 420 parts per million, a level that has not been seen since about 14 million years ago, according to the journal Science.  Climate changes are impacting every region of the world, and in places like the US, emissions are declining, but too slowly.  Despite this bad news, 2023 wasn’t all bad.

According to Dana Nuccitelli, CCL Research Coordinator and writer for Yale Climate Connections, In 2023 America’s climate pollution fell by about 2-3% from the previous year, and we are now 18-19% below 2005 levels.  In 2023, the European Union decreased their climate pollution by 6-7% partly due to their need to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels from Russia.  2023 was also the year that wind turbines, heat pumps, and electric vehicle sales hit new records as well.  Unfortunately, the reductions made were offset by increased emissions from China and India.  

The good news, though, is that, although China has been a big climate polluter, China is also setting records regarding the deployment of solar energy.  Currently, more than half of the world’s solar deployments are in China.  Now, whatever you might think about China, the fact of the matter is that we get a lot of stuff from them.  (Have you ever tried to buy something in Target or Walmart that was NOT made in China??)  China is really doing much of the world’s dirty work regarding manufacturing.  In fact, about 28% of the world’s manufacturing is done in China.  So, if China continues on its current path of deploying wind and solar and can experience decreased emissions in 2024, and the rest of the world follows suit, we may see a global tipping point worldwide, where global CO2 emissions will start to decline.  If the world’s leaders are diligent in their commitment made in December at COP 28 to transition away from fossil fuels, there is a chance that 2023 could be seen as the year that global climate pollution peaked.

In the US, states are now starting to roll out upfront rebates for homeowners to get energy audits and to make homes more energy efficient.  Tax credits for new and used electric vehicles are now transferrable to car dealerships as of January 2024, meaning that they will effectively become upfront discounts subtracted from vehicle sticker prices.  Also, the farm bill will be negotiated this year and will hopefully include natural climate solutions; and congress must continue to work towards permitting reform which will increase the number of clean energy projects that have been waiting in line to get approval.  Out with the old, in with the new!  In 2024, let’s continue to work diligently to reduce our carbon footprints, and celebrate the gains that are being made!  

Beth Monke, Fergus Falls

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By Erika Gilsdorf. Published in the Detroit Lakes Tribune 2/18/2024, the Perham Focus 2/14/2024 and the Pelican Rapids Press 2/15/2024.

This winter has been warm. Ominously warm.

February is looking and feeling a bit different this year, huh? I know some of us like keeping our winter jackets at home. I, however, love all the seasons here.

It’s one of the reasons I moved here from Arizona after college. You can’t beat our spring excitement of warmer weather on the horizon, the smell of a BBQ, and our yards coming to life.

Or, our hitting-it-hard summers at the lakes, our fall colors, and our winter fun. I founded the Polar Fest back in 1996 to celebrate all the crazy things we Minnesotans love to do in winter.

The truth is, the cold in Minnesota connects us. Most of those I’ve talked with, regardless of personal preference about cold, have expressed a feeling of oddness or disorientation about the warmth and lack of snow. We are all wondering what this weather could mean for our lakes, wetlands, forests and wildlife this summer.

Are we looking at an even worse drought? Conditions are setting up with terrible wildfire potential. Will we have trouble breathing in July? There is a billion dollar weather disaster every 18 days on average in the United States.

If your greatest concern is low water levels for boating this summer, that is worth talking about. Talking about climate action is one of the first best things we can do to create change.

Talking helps us move into the most important stage: doing something. I know a lot of us don’t like politics. I for sure don’t. It’s confusing, messy, and taxing to keep up on everything.

But, I’ve also learned from experience that when you turn your head to avoid politics, and let others act, speak and choose for you, they will.

Most Americans want Congress to act on climate change. We know that the more fossil fuels we burn, the more heat trapping carbon pollution we put into our atmosphere, leading to warming trends which have dramatic destabilizing consequences.

It’s critical that candidates running for office are well-informed and ready to act on climate.

Asking them questions about this allows you to see how well they understand the situation and what their priorities are in responding to it.

If this winter has you feeling queasy in your gut, I urge you to do something to ease it.

Talk about clean energy, especially with elected officials and candidates.

Look into energy efficiency alternatives and rebates for your home or business through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Get involved or donate money to groups working on clean energy, climate action, and reforestation.

Vote. Reduce and conserve energy. Listen hard when people disagree with you and try to understand where they are coming from.

Become a trusted listener.

It all matters.

We can no longer look away when ‘away’ is staring at us right outside our window.

Erika Gilsdorf, Detroit Lakes

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By Dave Ellison. Published in the Pelican Rapids Press 1/25/2024 and the Fergus Falls Daily Journal 5/3/2024

Can we afford clean energy?

You’ve probably heard that the cost of clean energy from wind and solar is coming down fast. You’ve maybe even heard that it’s already cheaper than coal. Turns out that’s not quite true. A recent study looked at the operating costs of all 210 coal fired plants in the US. They compared the cost of each to the cost of building and operating nonpolluting wind and/or solar plants with the same capacity at the same place. At the Dry Fork plant, near Gillette Montana it would be cheaper to continue to burn coal.

At the other 209 sites it would save money to just shut them down and build new solar or wind. So replacing coal burning generators with new wind and solar wouldn’t always save money, only 99.5% of the time. All together the switch would generate $589 billion dollars of investment in our country. That’s a lot of good jobs.

Some would point to the obvious; the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. There would be enough money saved to build 150 gigawatts of battery storage, that’s over 60% of the capacity of the existing coal plants. 80% of the coal plants were at least 30% more expensive than a comparable wind/solar replacement. Battery storage allows the electric grid to continue to deliver power at night and on cloudy windless days.

This study looked only at what shows up on your monthly electric bill. Turns out that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A recent Harvard study found that there are much greater impacts on our health care system. Air pollution from burning coal costs $187 billion (asthma, chronic lung disease) and $29 billion from mercury emissions. In Appalachia alone coal mining costs $74 billion in health care. Quitting coal would save on health care costs as well as electric bills.

Sustainable, affordable, reliable energy is doable with the tools we have right now. But the real bottom line should never be just dollars. It should be the health and well-being of our families and neighbors. Coal wastes money and costs lives. So why are we still burning coal? You could ask your power company, your senators and you representatives but in a democracy we the voters are ultimately responsible.

https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Coal-Cost-Crossover-3.0.pdf

Dave Ellison, Pelican Rapids

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By Dave Ellison. Published in the Pelican Rapids Press 2/8/2024.

Earth Matters

What does it really cost?

Most of us understand that dumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is a really bad idea. Climate scientists have been warning us for decades that we’re drastically changing the only planet we have.

Fouling our nest, so to speak. But we live in a society where the bottom line is the dollar. So, how much is a livable planet worth? In an effort to answer that question, economists, climatologists, and computer modelers have collaborated to estimate the social cost of carbon (SCC). The SCC is the economic damage to the planet and the 8 billion people living on it caused by the release of one more ton of carbon. That’s a pretty simple definition that turns out to incredibly complicated to answer. You might start by estimating the loss of real estate value in coastal areas due to rising sea levels, the loss of crops due to drought, and property damage from increasingly violent storms. Don’t forget mass migrations and the resulting social unrest and wars that will result. Pretty complicated but that’s what we have economists and big computers for.

So, what’s the answer? It depends on what you take into account, but the middle of the road average ofnmany studies is $190 per ton of carbon. This number leads to some interesting calculations. For instance, our 2011 VW gets about 30 mpg. So, it emits roughly 1 pound of CO 2 every mile. If we drive 2000 miles, we emit one ton of CO 2 , pay $200 for gas and cause $190 of economic damage to the earth. Of course, I’m not going to have to pay for that damage because it’s spread over the whole planet and many generations to come. But it’s very real.

The carbon cost of burning fossil fuels for electricity is also surprising. We pay around 10 cents for one kilowatt hour of electricity generated by burning coal. The cost to the planet and our descendants is 21 cents! Natural gas is a cleaner fuel, the SCC is only about 10 cents per kwh.

There is a bright side to all of this. If the social cost of a ton CO 2 is $190, the benefit to all of us for not emitting that ton is $190. Every kwhr of clean, solar or wind generated electricity saves money for us and our descendants. A well-insulated home or an energy efficient appliance generates benefits for many generations to come. An investment in the production of clean energy is an investment that will continue to generate savings far into the future.

Carbon cost of coal https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=48296

Of nat gas https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=74&t=11

Dave Ellison, Pelican Rapids

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By Dave Ellison. Published in the Pelican Rapids Press 2/14/2024 and the Fergus Falls Daily Journal 4/19/2024.

Responsibility…

…. sounds like the beginning of a really uncomfortable sermon. But maybe not.

Most of us understand that the carbon our species has been dumping into the atmosphere by burning coal, gas and oil for two centuries has caused the changes we’re seeing all around us. So, who is responsible? Of course, we all are but not equally. And it’s not intentional. I don’t think anyone gets up in the morning thinking “What can I do today to help wreck the planet?” You don’t get to decide, “Today I’m going to use clean solar instead of dirty coal.” We all do things that cause harm. It’s almost impossible not to. Our society has been built on and runs, to a large extent, on energy from burning fossil fuels. It’s built into the system. Even so we are not all equally responsible.

Last year a report by Oxfam, an international non-profit, quantified carbon emissions on the basis of country and wealth. Since the industrial revolution the “Global North” has been responsible for 92% of the carbon emitted. The wealthiest countries (with 16% of the population) emit 40% of the carbon while Africa, with 17% of people, emits 4%. So, there are big differences between countries, but there’s a much more interesting way to look at responsibility. The richest 1%, who live all over the world, emit as much carbon as the poorest 5 billion people put together, 66% of the world’s population. A study of 20 billionaires showed that each was responsible for 8,000 tons of CO 2 per year. A single super yacht (with helipads, submarines, a 50-foot swimming pool and fulltime crew of 40) can emit 34,000 tons annually. The average for the poorest half of the world is 2.8 tons per person each year. Inequality and climate change are not two separate problems. They’re two sides of the same thing.

The fact that a few thousand extremely wealthy individuals do great damage to our life support system doesn’t absolve us of responsibility for our own choices. But it does point to the possibility of making changes in the system through collective action, like fair taxation. I don’t think our disapproval will hurt the sales of super yachts but it can change the direction of corporations and governments. It won’t be easy. But this is a democracy and even corporations answer to shareholders and public opinion. We need to speak up.

(This study is a hard read but well worth it. https://www.oxfam.org/en/research/climate-equality-

planet-99)

Dave Ellison, Pelican Rapids

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By Erika Gilsdorf. Published in the Fargo Forum 2/25/2024 and the Fergus Falls Daily Journal 3/6/2025. 

Does the warm winter have you concerned?

February has been looking and feeling a bit different this year, huh? I know some of us like keeping our winter jackets at home. I, however, love all the seasons.

Regardless of personal preference about cold, you have to wonder what this weather could mean for our outdoors and wildlife this summer.

Are we looking at an even worse drought and more wildfires? Will we have trouble breathing in July? There is a billion-dollar weather disaster every 18 days on average in the United States.

Talking about climate action can create important change. Doing something can create even more. I know a lot of us don’t like politics. But, I’ve learned that when you turn your head to avoid politics, and let others act, speak and choose for you, they will.

Most Americans want Congress to act on climate change. We know that the more fossil fuels we burn, the more heat-trapping carbon pollution we put into our atmosphere, leading to warming trends which have dramatic destabilizing consequences.

If this weather has you concerned, I urge you to do something. Talk about clean energy, especially with elected officials and candidates. Look into energy efficiency alternatives and rebates for your home or business through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Get involved or donate money to groups working on clean energy, climate action, and reforestation. Vote. Reduce and conserve energy. It all matters.

We can no longer look away when ‘away’ is staring at us right outside our window.

Erika Gilsdorf, Detroit Lakes

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By Claudia Egelhoff. Published in the Swift County Monitor-News 2/28/2024.

I read with interest Lee Hamilton’s recent column in the Monitor-News

about “Big Decisions and American History”. I am reminded of another big

decision made in the 1930’s – to bring affordable electricity to farms.

By 1930, nearly 90% of urban and nonfarm rural homes had electricity but

only about 10% of farms did. Private utility companies balked at the cost of

connecting farms to the grid. 1936, the federal Rural Electrification Act

(REA) authorized loans to newly formed cooperative utilities to build out the

grid, wire farm homes and outfit them with lights and appliances.

REA engineers developed new technologies that dramatically reduced the

cost of bringing power to far-flung homesteads. Federal investment

boosted productivity on the farm and saved hours of housework with

electric lighting and appliances. This made rural life more attractive,

reducing the incentives to move away.

We are currently embarked on another “Big Decision” with federal and state

investments in reliable, affordable, safe, and clean energy. It took several

generations but we finally realized that burning fossil fuels harms our

health, degrades our climate, and threatens our national security.

Renewables are increasingly competitive with traditional forms of

energy. Battery storage technology is rapidly advancing. Clean energy

moves us closer to energy independence from oil-producing countries.

Clean energy reduces emissions, stabilizes our climate, and protects the

environment.

If you like this vision, contact your members of the legislature: Sen. Torrey

Westrom (651-296-3826) and Rep. Paul Anderson (651-296-4317). Tell

them you want energy that is reliable, affordable, safe, and clean.

Claudia Egelhoff

West St Paul, MN

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By Dave Ellison. Published in the Pelican Rapids Press, 5/16/2024

Resilience: Clean Energy like solar, wind are less subject to international politics. 

In Feb 2021, a blizzard swept through Texas, and the electrical grid failed. People were left without heat, water, and food for days. At least 246 died. The price of electricity for some went to go up to $9.00/kwhr. On that day, Feb 16, Texans spent 10.3 billion dollars on electricity, more than they spent in all of 2020. Governor Abbot initially blamed the failure on frozen wind turbines and solar panels. Careful investigations later showed that almost all of the problems were due to the natural gas system that had not (and still hasn’t) been winterized and the lack of interconnection between the Texas grid and the rest of the country. Their electrical system was not resilient.

We’re not Texas, but we can still learn from their experience. Many experts believe that distributed energy generation (DEG), multiple small energy sources, is necessary for a truly resilient system. Instead of power from a few huge generators traveling hundreds of miles over a few large transmission lines, a DEG system would rely on hundreds of solar arrays, wind generators, battery backup, and a network of interconnecting transmission lines. The advantages are pretty obvious. Because energy is generated close to where it’s used, line losses from long-distance transmission (6.8% in California) are avoided. A single tornado or terrorist attack could take down a power station or transmission line but not a system spread out over many counties. DEG is less vulnerable to extreme weather or sabotage. With DEG, local interconnection allows operators to shift power from sunny to cloudy areas. DEG is flexible. The cost of clean energy from solar arrays and wind turbines is not affected by international politics. The price of sunshine and wind will never go up. DEGs are more affordable.

Of course, there are challenges. The shape of our current system was set almost 100 years ago when large centralized plants produced all power. That assumption is built into the system. Although the technology is available, co-ops connected to Great River Energy (like Lake Region) are contractually prevented from transferring power from one substation to another, and no substation is allowed to source more than 5% clean local power. Even so, more local policies that encourage member/owner investment in clean, renewable energy sources and storage would begin to move us toward an affordable, clean, truly resilient system.

For more on DEGs,

https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/oeprod/DocumentsandMedia/1817_Report_-final.pdf

Editor’s note: Longtime Pelican Rapids resident and retired physician Dave Ellison has a keen interest in the environment and alternative energy.

Ellison’s “Earth Matters” column appears regularly in the Pelican Rapids Press. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the Press management and staff. 

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By Dave Ellison. Published in the Pelican Rapids Press and the Fergus Falls Daily Journal 5/8/2024.

A Climate Success You May Have Missed

Canada, our neighbor to the north imposed a price of $65 a ton on carbon emissions in mid-2018. Although each province could set up its own system 10 of 13 have opted for the same federal program. The provincial government collects a fee from all forms of fossil energy, coal, oil, natural gas at the source, and gives 90% back to individual households. Most economists agree that increasing the cost of carbon is the most efficient way to reduce emissions. The concept is pretty straightforward. If you increase the price of fossil carbon the price of goods and services that use it go up proportionately. People respond by using less and carbon emissions go down. Sceptics predicted that rampant inflation would follow, the economy would stagnate and that households with the least income would be hurt. They were wrong.

Carbon emissions went from 15.5 tons per capita in 2018 to around 14 tons in 2020-2022, a 10% drop. Not enough to save the planet but it’s a start. The carbon fee is scheduled to go up in April to $80/ton. So who ended up paying? According to Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Office, 80% of Canadians came out ahead. They got more back in monthly rebates than they paid in increased prices. Low-income households did the best - for 94% of them monthly rebates exceeded increased costs. Since wealthy families use more carbon emitting products and household rebates are not based on income, they end up paying more. However, even 55% of the high-income group (more than $250k/year) came out ahead.

But did the economy survive? It not only survived, it thrived. From 2018 to 2022, per capita GDP went from $46.5k to $55k. A study of 31 European countries with carbon pricing showed no evidence of economic harm. The US and Australia are the only developed countries without some form of carbon pricing-rebate system.

Some folks are trying to change that. Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL) is an international effort with over 500 chapters around the world. In the US it is building a bipartisan coalition of legislators to back a very modest carbon fee/dividend bill. This is a truly bipartisan effort. For every Republican who agrees to back the legislation, CCL must find a democrat to join the initiative. Fergus Falls has a very enthusiastic chapter which meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Monday of the month at the Fergus Falls Public Library. New comers are always welcome to join the conversation. Recently, the Fergus chapter has met with Jordan Rasmussen, and also with representatives from Lake Region Electric Cooperative, Otter Tail Power, and Great River Energy to discuss related matters.

For more info check out https://citizensclimatelobby.org/

Dave Ellison, Pelican Rapids

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By Beth Monke. Published in the Fergus Falls Daily Journal 6/1/2024.

Get Rewired!

Summer is a good time to think about projects, and with more tax incentives and rebates coming in 2025, it may be a good time to start thinking about doing some climate friendly upgrades!  However, it is always difficult to know where to start.  Projects cost money, and sometimes there isn’t enough of that to go around.  However, with some planning, there are options available with some good financial incentives as well!

A great website that is available is rewiringamerica.org.  This website will walk you through making your own personalized energy plan, which often starts with an energy audit, weatherizing and then including more technologies for which there are tax incentives and rebates.  This website also has a contractor locator and gives an estimate of projected savings.  Some of the Minnesota incentives are projected to roll out beginning in 2025 (some are available now), so this is a good time to start planning and investigating.

Another great option is your local utility company.  We are Otter Tail Power Company customers, and their website is a wealth of information.  If you go to “ways to save,” it will lead you to very updated information on energy saving programs and rebates.  Did you know that OTPCO does appliance recycling?  So if, for instance, your refrigerator is on its last leg, but it still works, they will come and pick up your old “working” refrigerator and actually pay you $50 for it!!  Then if you buy a new energy star refrigerator, they will pay you another $50!  There are many programs for energy efficiency offered that can save you 30% or more on your energy bill!  They also have information on rebates for electric heat pumps, electric vehicles and all of this information is on their website along with forms for applying for your rebate.

A third great resource is Clean Energy Resource Teams, located on the U of M, St. Paul campus.  Their website is cleanenergyresourceteams.org which has very up to date information on rebates and incentives in our state.  For instance, did you know that the application process for MN rebates for electric bikes begins on June 6?  MN residents can apply to get a rebate for an e-bike and qualifying accessories of up to 75% or a maximum of $1500!  There will be an online application portal that will open on June 5th, and the CERTS website will have a link to the portal as that time nears.  Those certificates for rebates will be on a first come, first serve basis (there is a limited pot of money for this rebate), so make sure you get right on it!  On July 1st, the state will issue those rebate certificates to approved individuals, and off you will go on your new e-bike!  My husband and I both have them, and they are the bomb.  Of course, it is even better if you can use your e-bike to bike to work or the store instead of driving that 3,000 pound vehicle when you really don’t need to.  An ebike will take you to work at 20 mph, which is a great way to enjoy the view and get a little exercise before you get to work.  Have a fun summer planning for new adventures and energy savings!

Beth Monke, Fergus Falls