Staff Directory 11331478

Walker Orenstein

Reporter | Energy, natural resources and sustainability
Phone: 612-673-4246

Walker Orenstein covers energy, natural resources and sustainability for the Star Tribune. Before that, he was a reporter at MinnPost and at news outlets in Washington state.


Walker Orenstein covers energy, natural resources and sustainability for the Star Tribune. Orenstein previously covered state government and politics with a focus on greater Minnesota and environmental issues for MinnPost, and he reported on the Legislature in Washington state for The News Tribune of Tacoma. He was raised in St. Paul and attended the University of Washington in Seattle. In his spare time, Orenstein enjoys playing hockey, hiking and camping..
Recent content from Walker Orenstein
Xcel Energy switched on a " solar farm" in North Branch, Mn., in December 2016. Photo: brian.peterson@startribune.com

Xcel to spend $11B more than planned to keep up with accelerating changes in energy system

The company says its five-year spending plan of $34 billion last year has jumped to $45 billion, and says customers won't see the full rate increase in bills because of federal tax credits.
Allete and Minnesota Power headquarters in Duluth, pictured in 2024.

State OKs higher electric rates for Minnesota Power customers

The second rate increase in two years was smaller than what was sought by the Duluth-based utility.
Tom Grainger, senior director of business development and investor relations, demonstrates the magnetism of iron nitride powder, on a tour at Niron Ma

A new iron magnet — invented in Minnesota — could reduce reliance on China for EV motors and cellphones

Niron Magnetics makes magnets without "rare earth" elements that can be used in electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, cellphones, headphones and more.
Travis Larson, who oversees maintenance of the ice at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, makes ice with the arena's new electric Zamboni.

In Minnesota, the switch to electric vehicles includes your local Zamboni

It's a quintessentially Minnesotan sign of the continued march of the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels. The Minnesota Wild is following the lead of most local rinks.
Solar modules are manufactured at Heliene, one of the largest solar panel makers in the country, in September. The company came to Mountain Iron in 20

Walz put national spotlight on a large Minnesota solar plant, but overstates size of plant

Heliene Inc.'s plant in the small town of Mountain Iron was Walz's local example of a green jobs creator — growing in part thanks to incentives passed under President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris.
Crews work to remove piles of wind turbine parts from an empty lot Thursday, Oct. 4, 2024 in Grand Meadow, Minn.

After four years, workers start clearing wind turbine junk from Minnesota community

A local company is hauling away a gigantic pile of fiberglass and metal wind turbine blades abandoned in Grand Meadow in late 2020 after state utility regulators intervened.
The scene in February 2023 when Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation that will move Minnesota utilities toward carbon-free energy by 2040.

From Line 3 to 'carbon-free': Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's record on environment and climate

As governor, Walz boasts a series of what progressives view as major wins, but he has also disappointed environmental advocates on decisions about mining, oil pipelines, ag pollution and more.
Piles of trash are collected and sorted at the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Center in Newport last November. Trash from the center is sent to

Burning wood and trash might qualify as carbon free under 2040 climate law, Minnesota regulators find

The state Public Utilities Commission weighed in on a complex and controversial debate over what qualifies as carbon-free under Minnesota's landmark law targeting a clean electric grid by 2040.
Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant pictured in 2017.  GLEN STUBBE • glen.stubbe@startribune.com

Minnesota regulators: Xcel must refund customers for Prairie Island outage caused by severed cables

Xcel wanted customers to pick up the tab for buying substitute power as the facility was fixed, despite acknowledging it drilled without using ground radar.
Xcel Energy's High Bridge natural gas plant in St. Paul, pictured in 2016.

Minnesota wants carbon-free power by 2040. Xcel wants at least one new gas plant.

Xcel says the gas is needed for reliable power. Environmentalists and the attorney general say building new facilities is too expensive for customers and harms the climate.
Commissioners listen to a recorded message from Lauren Blacik, superintendent of Pipestone National Monument, during a Minnesota Public Utilities Comm

Minnesota regulators narrowly approve gas pipeline near Pipestone Monument

On a 3-2 vote, the state Public Utilities Commission sided with Magellan Pipeline Co. over tribes who consider the area foundational to their religious beliefs.
September colors helped the pink quartzite cliffs pop at Pipestone National Monument, under a silvery sunrise.

Bid to reopen oil pipeline near Pipestone monument prompts tribal backlash

Out of service for two years, the pipeline would be routed around the monument. But Native Americans say it threatens a quarry that one local official calls "key to our spirituality."
Sean Harrington, right, executive director of construction for NextEra Energy, speaks Thursday during a hearing of the the Public Utilities Commission

Wind power developer pledges to clear discarded turbine blades from Minnesota town

NextEra Energy told Minnesota utility regulators it would start moving the junk next month after two startup recycling contractors failed to do so for nearly four years.
A pile of wind turbine parts is piled up along almost the entire west border of Darcy Richardson’s property in Grand Meadow, Minn., on Aug. 7. Richa

Future of discarded wind turbine blades in Minnesota town gets cloudier after company disappears

With the future uncertain for the gigantic pile of wind junk, one man tried to cut through a blade with a stump grinder.
Scott O’Konek, project manager for Summit Carbon Solutions, center, talks to people at Farmfest this month in Morgan, Minn., about his company’s c

Minnesota farm country debates what could be the state's first carbon-capture pipeline

Pipeline safety and environmental benefits are in question as the Summit Carbon Solutions project — an $8.9 billion system in five Upper Midwest states — tries to move ahead in Minnesota.
The North Star Solar project covers 1,000 acres in Chisago County with more than 440,000 panels. Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022  North Branch, Minn.  Brian

Giant solar projects could transform Minnesota's energy landscape

More than a dozen colossal projects across mostly rural areas of the state could substantially boost Minnesota's modest capacity for solar energy.
Center for Energy & Environment (CEE) HVAC consultant Taylor Smith sets a programable thermostat on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minn. DAVI

After backlash, Xcel retreats from Minnesota plan for higher peak rates, lower overnight costs

The Minneapolis-based company is now pitching a voluntary "time of use" program that allows residential customers to opt in to dynamic rates with lower peak prices, rather than automatically enrolling everyone.
The Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset, Minn., in 2011.

State warned Minnesota Power about spills before 5-million-gallon coal plant leak

The Duluth-based utility reported 11 spills — all much smaller — between October 2021 and October 2023 at its large Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset, Minn., including three of ash wastewater.
Discarded wind turbine parts are piled up along almost the entire west border of Darcy Richardson’s property in Grand Meadow, Minn., on Aug. 7. Rich

'Seriously, this sucks': How a small Minnesota town was left with a giant pile of wind turbine blades

Grand Meadow wants someone to get rid of the mess after a failed effort to recycle the massive, worn-out parts.
Allete and Minnesota Power headquarters in Duluth.

Minnesota approves nearly $1 billion project to bring North Dakota wind power to state

Minnesota Power won key permits to modernize and expand a giant high-voltage power line, which it says is critical to avoid outages and keep wind energy flowing to customers.
An industrial shredder turns tree scraps into biomass fuel for District Energy in St. Paul. The 12-acre wood yard near Pig’s Eye Lake is one of the

Minnesota wants to be carbon-free by 2040, but it still hasn't decided what that means

The Public Utilities Commission must decide what counts as carbon-free as utilities move to a clean grid.
Crews work to construct a solar facility near the Sherburne County Generating Station, also known as Sherco, a large coal-fired power plant on Dec. 8

PUC approves Xcel plan to replace retiring Minnesota coal plant with mega solar farm

Utility regulators on Thursday granted a key permit for the third large Xcel solar project in Becker, the last in a trio that together will be one of the country's largest farms. The power will help replace the outgoing Sherco coal plant.
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A million gallons of coal ash wastewater spills at Minnesota Power coal plant

The Duluth-based electric utility said an unknown amount of polluted water had reached a nearby lake after a pipe leaked.
Bicyclists, walkers, and rollerbladers travel across the newer part of the Coon Rapids Dam, which was rebuilt in 1997.

Minnesota dams mostly held up in June flooding, but old structures need repair

The Rapidan Dam near Mankato drew a national spotlight to what is a common problem in the state: old and creaky dams that are costly to fix, replace or remove.
Allete CEO Bethany Owen speaks at a panel in Minneapolis in June. The Duluth-based energy company spent more than a year looking for a buyer before an

Minnesota Power parent company explored sale starting in 2022 ahead of $6.2 billion deal

That revelation and others — like how the company CEO would cash in on the sale — came as part of disclosures ahead of an August stockholder vote to take Allete private.
The west bank of the river at the Rapidan Dam near Mankato, photographed Tuesday, has seen major erosion from recent flooding.

Bridge next to Rapidan Dam at risk of failure a week after major flooding

Blue Earth County attempted an emergency operation to stabilize the bridge last week.
Xcel Energy logo

Xcel agrees to smaller Minnesota gas rate hike in deal for 7.5% increase

A settlement with state officials and others would result in an extra $4.20 per month on the bills of residential customers if utility regulators approve. The money would partly pay for maintenance and upgrades to Xcel's gas distribution and transmission infrastructure.
Lineman Bobby Weber uses binoculars to inspect a high power line pole in Inver Grove Heights in April. Utilities including Xcel Energy are managing a

Xcel seeks $1.9 billion from Colorado customers to fund wildfire mitigation after 2021 blaze

The Minneapolis-based company is facing an onslaught of lawsuits from two destructive fires in Colorado and Texas. The plan would raise residential bills in Colorado by 9.56% but would not affect Minnesota rates.
Mankato house plummets into river after dam collapse

House collapses into river near Rapidan Dam in southern Minn.

Blue Earth County authorities "monitoring for downstream impacts" after house falls into water.
People gather to watch the Rapidan Dam on Monday, June 24, 2024 near Mankato. Water in the river significantly cut around the west side of the dam, wh

The Rapidan Dam near Mankato will likely survive this flood. But what about the next?

Destructive flooding in 2019 and 2020 had previously left the 114-year-old hydroelectric plant inoperable and county officials grappling with the choice of spending at least $15 million to repair it — with little hope of making enough money from selling power — or shelling out $82 million to remove it.
Quick-flowing water erodes the earth around the Rapidan Dam near Mankato on Monday.

Dam near Mankato in danger of 'imminent failure'

Flooding has washed out a portion of the Rapidan Dam on the Blue Earth River, as the water continues to rise.
Todd Gillette, a field training manager at TelCom Construction, operates a horizontal drill during a demonstration at a TelCom Construction field trai

Minnesota unions won new labor rules for broadband. Will it slow $652 million for rural access?

A volatile rift over proposed wage and safety rules as unions pushed for higher standards made the telecom industry warn Minnesota would lose out on once-in-a-generation funding for fast internet in rural areas. What passed has raised its own debate.
Google is one of the sponsors at the Mid-America Regulatory Conference (MARC) for state utility regulators in Minneapolis on June 10 at the Renaissanc

Utility regulators hosted annual conference in Minneapolis with money from entities they oversee

The Mid-America Regulatory Conference raises questions about the ethics of soliciting money from companies and interest groups the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission regulates.
A rendering of the Solugen "Bioforge" slated to open in Marshall, Minn., in 2025.

Corn-sugar chemical plant in Minnesota lands $213 million federal loan

Texas-based Solugen aims to build a large manufacturing plant in Marshall, Minn., for turning corn sugar into chemicals usually made from petroleum.
FERC Commissioner Allison Clements and Allete CEO Bethany Owen take part in a panel at the Mid-America Regulatory Conference in Minneapolis on Monday.

With 'outdated' electric grid, major new rule with Midwest ties could boost renewables

In Minneapolis, FERC Commissioner Allison Clements promoted a significant new federal rule that could be a part of a needed grid overhaul.
Casks of spent fuel rods at Prairie Island nuclear power plant, pictured in 2017.

Customers or shareholders: Xcel, state divided on who should pay for Prairie Island outage

The nuclear plant was down for more than 100 days starting in October after workers accidentally cut underground cables, and the cost to buy replacement energy on the open market in 2023 was more than $23 million.
Mike Bakk, Keetac’s director of operational readiness, explains the concentration process at U.S. Steel's Keetac mining operation in Keewatin, Minn.

As U.S. Steel opens new Iron Range taconite facility, its potential foreign sale looms

Japan's Nippon Steel plans to acquire the company pending regulatory approval, but the transaction, announced in December 2023, has drawn national security and supply chain concerns.
Xcel Energy line inspectors have access to an extreme ATV like a Sherp to access power lines in remote areas, here in Inver Grove Heights on April 24.

Embroiled in lawsuits from wildfires, Xcel faces tradeoffs of safety vs. cost

Xcel's equipment has allegedly been a source for blazes in Colorado and Texas, but the public utility is one of many grappling with tough questions of how to prevent such disasters.
Center for Energy and Environment HVAC consultant Taylor Smith sets a programmable thermostat on Oct. 13, 2022, in Minneapolis.

Minnesotans find Xcel's dynamic pricing plan too aggressive, not worth energy savings

"Time-of-use" electric rates — like a surcharge during busy hours for rideshares — is becoming more common in the U.S., but consumers, state officials and nonprofit advocates don't feel the two-year pilot program proved the rates work.
Workers from TruNorth Solar install a rooftop solar panel power system on April 4 in Golden Valley.

DFL resolves division on permitting and community solar credits in energy legislation

Despite late-session negotiations, energy legislation passed without any major upheaval.
Jonathan Bram, left, of Global Infrastructure Partners, and Palak Trivedi of Canadian Pension Plan chat with Allete CEO Bethany Owen after the Minneso

World's largest asset manager behind Duluth energy company Allete's $6.2B sale

BlackRock is buying Global Infrastructure Partners, which would be the majority owner of Allete if regulators approve the deal. That has raised some eyebrows among consumer advocates.
Bits of snow cover solar panels on Burns Valley Road Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 in La Crescent, Minn.

At last minute, House DFLers quietly push to overturn major ruling on community solar

The effort brings up an acrimonious debate over the costs and benefits of community solar, and could threaten legislation meant to cut red tape for clean energy development.
Allete CEO Bethany Owen during the Public Utilities Commission meeting in St. Paul on Thursday.

PUC wants buyers of Duluth energy company Allete to clarify local workforce commitment

Global Infrastructure Partners and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board appeared before the Public Utilities Commission on Thursday to discuss their $6.2 billion deal.
Drone system engineer and developer Mikkel Tiller, center, and pilot Warren Grange, both with Heimdall Power, discuss their flight to install an orb o

Balls, orbs or neurons: The pioneering tech helping Great River Energy manage transmission lines

A small sphere Norway's Heimdall Power created aims to free up space and reduce congestion, potentially eliminating the need for new infrastructure.
Allete President and CEO Bethany M. Owen posed for a portrait in the board room in the ALLEETE headquarters in 2020. She will remain at the helm of th

Duluth electric utility owner Allete to go private after $6.2 billion sale

A Canadian pension board and an investment fund partnered to buy the company, which will keep its headquarters in Minnesota.
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Minnesota Power agrees to smaller bill increase for customers in settlement

If utility regulators approve the deal with state officials, residential customers' electric rates would increase 4.9% instead of the originally posed 12%.
Sen. Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato, speaks on the Senate floor in the State Capitol where he has sponsored a bill to streamline the permit process fo

Minnesota DFL wants faster clean energy permits, but some are wary of shortcutting public input

Lawmakers promise an effort to cut red tape for clean power won't result in meaningfully less oversight or public involvement.
Ranch lands the Smokehouse Creek fire scorched in Canadian, Texas, pictured March 1, 2024. Xcel Energy could face hundreds of millions of dollars of c

Xcel profits after job cuts, but Texas wildfire costs could be 'adverse'

The Minneapolis-based utility says it wasn't negligent in maintaining a wooden utility pole that was a source of the Smokehouse Creek Fire, but if it's found liable, costs could exceed $500 million in insurance coverage.
Xcel Energy has proposed a two-year test of automatic bill credits for Minnesota customers in certain low-income areas.

Xcel's proposed automatic bill credit could save low-income households in Minnesota $450 a year

The company would enroll people in certain census areas based on income metrics and energy bills to help make energy costs just 4% of the household's income.
Workers from TruNorth Solar install a rooftop solar panel power system on the roof of Sheila and Richard Miller’s house in Golden Valley.

How to solar power your home to lower your carbon footprint

There are more options for boosting solar power at home than you might think, including installing rooftop solar, subscribing to a community garden or simply paying extra to your utility.
Stacks from three large steam turbine-generators, along with massive mounds of coal, can be seen from the roof of the Sherburne County Generating Stat

Xcel drops rate fight, which will keep Minnesota utility bills cheaper

It also abruptly ended a long-running and unusually bitter split between the company and Public Utilities Commission about the "return on equity" rate.
A crew lays down fiber-optic cable in Carver County, Minn., in 2022.

Minnesota House drops 'franchise fees' on internet providers that would have hiked bills

Supporters said the policy would improve broadband access and help fund government access programming, but telecom groups lobbied against the plan.
Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant pictured in 2017.

Cause of Xcel's Prairie Island nuclear outage: Workers drilled through cables

Xcel Energy initially pinpointed the cause of a lengthy outage at its Prairie Island nuclear power plant as an equipment issue.
Water filtration and oxygen handler systems that works in concert with an electrolzyer pictured at a CenterPoint gas facility to create hydrogen Thurs

Xcel, UND say Midwest hydrogen 'hub' at risk from tax credit rules

A $1 billion federal grant could be in limbo in part because of limits on when companies can receive a hydrogen production tax credit for using nuclear and wind to create hydrogen.
Pulsar CEO Thomas Abraham-James stands in front of the company's Jetstream  #1 helium exploration facility in Babbitt on the Iron Range.

Legislators scramble to create tax, environmental plan for Minnesota's first helium operation

State and local officials fear Canadian-based Pulsar could move ahead with its northeastern Minnesota project and use gas from under state land without paying royalties.
Workers hung up a sign advertising Toyota’s line of electric vehicles during setup for the 2024 Twin Cities Auto Show at the Minneapolis Convention

Minnesota EV sales rose last year, widespread adoption still far off

While electric vehicles will be a talking point at the Twin Cities Auto Show, the segment has a long way to go.
A crew lays down fiber-optic cable last year as part of the “Connect Up Carver” initiative bringing broadband internet to rural areas in Carver Co

Some Minnesota cities want to impose fees on internet providers; customers could pay the price

Those fees would go toward improving rural broadband connectivity, increasing access to government media and offering consumer protections.
Gregg Mast, executive director of Clean Energy Economy Minnesota, left, received a tour with Jared Newton, Connexus Energy's director of Engineering a

Minnesota utilities hope surge of big-scale batteries helps transition to clean energy

A state study released this month says the batteries are a necessary piece of plans to be carbon-free by 2040.
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Minnesota appeals court dismisses Mesabi lawsuit over Nashwauk mineral leases

The DNR revoked leases from Mesabi Metallics in 2021 after the company missed its latest deadline in pursuing a long-delayed taconite mine and partly built processing plant.
Big transmission lines run along Highway 52, across farmland pictured in 2021 outside Hampton.

A new plan for Midwest power lines could cost $23 billion. Is it enough?

Some experts have called a colossal new proposal for more than a dozen power lines in the region sparse.
The control room for Units 1 and 2 at Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant in Welch, Minn., during a planned outage in 2017.

Xcel's Prairie Island nuclear plant returns after lengthy outage drew questions

State officials had asked the energy company to provide a detailed explanation for when the power plant could be running again.
Pulsar CEO Thomas Abraham-James stands in front of the company's Jetstream #1 helium exploration facility near Babbitt on the Iron Range.

Lab results show significant helium levels at drill site that would be Minnesota's first

One firm advising the Canadian company Pulsar Helium said it was the highest concentration of the gas it had ever seen.
A Senate committee on Thursday heard the case outlined by a GOP legislator that Minnesota municipalities should not ban gas stoves or heating.

Minnesota GOP bill would prevent municipalities from banning gas stoves, heating

There don't appear to be any local bans in the works, but the idea to prevent regulations has drawn support from home industry and was heard by a DFL-led committee on Wednesday.
Scott Redd, CEO and President of Sabathani Community Center, looks at the two 60-year-old gas boilers in the basement of Sabathani Community Center in

Can geothermal heat a south Minneapolis community hub?

Center leaders want to replace their 'Thelma & Louise' gas boilers with a geothermal system that would cost a total of $21 million as part of the idea of making it a "resilience hub."
The Coal Creek Power Station produces 1,100 Megawatts at full capacity and is the largest power plant in North Dakota.

Utility regulators approve Great River plan that aims for 90% carbon-free power by 2035

The Maple Grove-based cooperative has a deal to reduce coal power it buys from a North Dakota plant and wants to add wind, solar and battery power. The Sierra Club opposed the plan.
Firefighters execute a prescribed burn last week in response to the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest wildfire in Texas history. Xcel says its equipm

Xcel admits its equipment helped spark historic Texas wildfire

The Smokehouse Creek fire has burned more than 1 million acres across the Texas Panhandle.
Xcel said Tuesday it will add another wind farm in North Dakota to its portfolio. File photo of an Xcel wind site in Colorado.

Xcel says big reason it needs to spend millions on new projects is regional grid's reliability risks

Minnesota needs to be ready with its own electricity sources, especially as severe weather hits more often.
At the Securian Center in downtown St. Paul, several dozen janitors from the SEIU, including Mohamed Geyre with his daughter Fadumo,6, protested their

Twin Cities office janitors kick off strike with pickets

"Week of action" planned as janitors, nursing home staff, teachers and others converge.
Passengers get on and off the light rail at the Capitol / Rice Street Station, Green Line light rail in St. Paul.

Person wounded in stabbing on Green Line light rail in St. Paul

The victim was treated for the injuries, and a suspect was arrested. The stabbing comes as Metro Transit works on improving light-rail safety.

Body found in St. Croix River at Hudson, Wis., park

Hudson police said they recovered the body in the water after being dispatched to the area of Lakefront Park around 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Man dead after being found with gunshot wounds in south Minneapolis, police say

Homicide detectives are investigating the case.
In this handout photo provided by the Texas A&M Forest Service, the Smokehouse Creek wildfire in Texas burns on Wednesday. It so far has destroyed mor

Xcel stock falls after insurers allege utility's equipment is linked to large Texas wildfire

The Minneapolis-based company said it received a letter from a law firm representing property insurers aiming to notify Xcel had it "potential exposure for damages" from the Smokehouse Creek fire.
Xcel plans to build more solar arrays like this one, the first community solar array in Minnesota, which was set up in Rockford earlier this year by t

Minnesota Commerce official leaves for nonprofit in wake of conflict of interest complaints

The concerns raised by staff were tied to Louise Miltich's marriage to a solar industry lobbyist. Agency leaders said there was no conflict based on state law and policy.
Mary Mayer has been  hired as senior vice president of consumer growth for the Star Tribune.

Star Tribune hires Daily Beast manager as senior VP of consumer growth

Mary Mayer comes to the paper from the Daily Beast, where she built a subscription system for the national news site.
Pulsar CEO Thomas Abraham-James stood in front of the company's Jetstream #1 helium exploration facility in Babbitt on the Iron Range.

Helium is hiding below northern Minnesota. It could help fuel space exploration and medical tech.

Drillers looking for platinum and palladium stumbled on what may be a major helium reservoir in Minnesota. It is a sought-after commodity.