My latest column for the Minnesota Star Tribune is out today, entitled, “Green shoots of hope: Despite harsh political winds, renewable energy can help communities weather the storm.”
If we boil all things down to ideology and opposition, there are some people who will never accept renewable energy as anything worth their time or consideration. Meanwhile, another extreme overvalues environmental buzzwords beyond their practical use.
The cheapest electrons being produced in the world today come from solar energy. Not coal. Not gas. Not nuclear. That’s not discounting the role that any of those fuel sources play in our grid, but an important piece of information.
In a world crunched by rising costs, affordability becomes a safe harbor for holy rollers on all sides of the energy debate. But now we clearly see that the federal government won’t be providing leadership on this anytime soon.
Local communities, however, can lead. And they are. In my latest column, a story of rural Minnesota’s energy future begins on the White Earth Nation and winds its way through the Iron Range and beyond.
Read more in the column, found in the April 8, 2025 Minnesota Star Tribune.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
