A conservative policy fellow with the Center of the American Experiment applied for Gov. Tim Walz’s “Advisory Council on Climate Change,” which promised to “represent different perspectives and experiences.”
Walz issued an executive order in December establishing the advisory council and a “Climate Change Subcabinet,” The Minnesota Sun reported. The Governor’s Advisory Council on Climate Change will advise the subcabinet on its duties, the executive order explained.
“Climate change threatens the very things that make Minnesota a great place to live – from our wonderful lakes to farmable land and clean air,” Walz said in a statement. “Building on the bold action our administration has taken already, this subcabinet will help put our state at the forefront of finding solutions to climate change. Together, we can tackle climate change, create good-paying jobs, and pioneer the clean energy economy.”
In a press release, Walz’s office said the advisory council will be made up of 15 members who “represent different perspectives and experiences.”
As such, Center of the American Experiment policy fellow Isaac Orr, who writes about energy and environmental issues, submitted an application to be appointed to the council.
“My name is Isaac Orr, and I would like to express my enthusiasm and sincere desire to be appointed to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Climate Change because our leaders need input from all perspectives if they are going to make the best possible decisions on energy policy,” Orr said in a cover letter for the position, which he released last week. “I know my personal and professional experience on energy issues will enhance the ability of the Advisory Council to find solutions that optimize the quality of life for all Minnesotans.”
Orr said his experience of growing up on a small dairy farm in rural Wisconsin and his background in agriculture “will help fulfill the council’s desire to hear the voices of rural residents, who would be disproportionately harmed by rising energy costs.”
“My latest study, Doubling Down on Failure: How a 50 Percent by 2030 Renewable Energy Standard Would Cost Minnesota $80.2 Billion, won the Bob Williams Award for Most Influential Research,” Orr continued. “This research, which used conservative assumptions, concluded that a grid powered by 50 percent wind and solar would raise electricity prices 40 percent in Minnesota, harming all Minnesotans, especially low-income families and senior citizens.”
He said his “dissenting” voice should be viewed “as an asset, not a liability.”
“The checks and balances provided by opposing viewpoints are needed to ensure that we are not allowing our inherent intellectual biases to cloud our vision. In the end, we all share the same goal of moving our state forward,” he concluded. “For this reason, I believe it is crucially important for the Council to have a practical, free-market-oriented voice.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
