Isaac Orr | Somewhat Reasonable

Banning Industrial Sand Mining Would Be a Mistake

by Isaac Orr
February 24, 2015

Silica sand mining can bring high-paying jobs to southern Minnesota with minimal threat of environmental damage.

Heartland Daily Podcast – Isaac Orr: Introducing Bette Grande to Energy Team

by Isaac Orr
February 24, 2015

Research Fellow Isaac Orr introduces the latest addition to The Heartland Institute’s team, Research Fellow Bette Grande. Bette is a former legislator from North Dakota who served in the ND legislature for nearly two decades. During that time she specialized in pension reform and energy issues.

Isaac Orr “Will Fracking Make My Water Catch On Fire?”

by Isaac Orr
February 13, 2015

Isaac Orr, a Research Fellow for energy and environmental policy gave a talk on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and frac sand mining in Appleton, Wisconsin as part of the Fox Valley Conservative Forum series.

Where’s Our Refund for Climate Change Costs?

by Isaac Orr
February 5, 2015

A new report released by the White House shows Americans are overpaying for climate change reduction efforts, and considering scientific research shows average global temperatures have not risen significantly since 1998, maybe we should all get a refund.

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Heartland Daily Podcast – Jon Haubert: Responsible Energy Development in Colorado

by Isaac Orr
January 19, 2015

Jon Haubert from the group Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development (CRED) discusses the role that CRED plays in helping the general public understand the process of hydraulic fracturing in a balanced manner that weighs the costs of developing oil and natural gas against the benefits derived from them.

$New York Governor Andrew Cuomo greets fracking protesters outside his office in New York$

Isaac Orr Discusses NY Fracking Ban on Pennsylvania Farm Country Radio

by Isaac Orr
January 8, 2015

While the ban is considered to be a political success for Governor Cuomo, Orr explains how the state is going to miss out on economic opportunity and tax revenue.

Heartland Daily Podcast – Isaac Orr and Nathan Makla: Energy and Environment Road-trip

by Isaac Orr
January 7, 2015

While on an Energy policy road-trip, Research Fellow Isaac Orr and Nathan Makla take some time to discuss environmental issues in today’s podcast. Orr and Makla talk about some of the stops they have made so far during the tour and tackle a few of the most frequently asked questions regarding global warming.

$New York Governor Andrew Cuomo greets fracking protesters outside his office in New York$

Andrew Cuomo’s Fracking Psuedo-Science

by Isaac Orr
January 7, 2015

What do Bigfoot and New York’s ban on fracking ban have in common? The evidence supporting the existence of both is equally (un)credible.

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Heartland Daily Podcast – David Quast: Hydraulic Fracturing Ban in New York

by Isaac Orr
January 5, 2015

Research Fellow Isaac Orr and his special guest David Quast from Energy In Depth discuss the flaws in the “science” used to justify the ban, the economic impact it will have for the citizens of New York, and the broader implications this ban could potentially have on the industry in other states.

HEARTLAND DAILY PODCAST – Jessica Sena: Sierra Club’s most deceptive videos ever made on Fracking

by Isaac Orr
December 17, 2014

Heartland Institute Research Fellow Isaac Orr and Jessica Sena discuss a new Sierra Club video “Fracking 101,” which by many accounts is one of the most deceptive videos ever made on the topic.

Prostate Cancer and Energy Poverty

by Isaac Orr
November 26, 2014

Smoking, obesity, exposure to toxic chemicals: Which of these factors do you think plays the biggest role in determining how deadly prostate cancer will be in a given situation? The correct answer is none of them. The most life-threatening factor in prostate cancer is poverty, coupled with a lack of access to electricity. This condition, called “energy poverty” by the World Bank, is the reason all illnesses – including prostate cancer – are far more devastating to people in poor nations than in the developed world.

Heartland Daily Podcast – Jessica Sena: Challenges Associated with Increasing Oil and Natural Gas Production

by Isaac Orr
November 18, 2014

Research Fellow Isaac Orr and Jessica Sena from the Montana Petroleum Association discuss some of the challenges associated with the “growing pains” of increasing oil and natural gas production in the United States, and some of the potential solutions, including building more pipelines.

Despite Being Wrong, IPCC More Confident Than Ever

by Isaac Orr
November 7, 2014

On Nov. 2, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its “2014 Summary for Policymakers.” This report has been described as the starkest warning yet about the need to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions or face “the chaos of runaway climate change,” despite the scientific fact there has been no significant increase in the average global temperature since 1998.

From Boom to Bustle: The Transition of the North Dakota Economy

by Isaac Orr
November 7, 2014

The North Dakota oil boom is over. At least that was one of the recurring talking points at the North Dakota Petroleum Council’s (NDPC) annual meeting in Dickinson, North Dakota about a month ago. As the oil field has matured, life in the Bakken has started to become “more normal.” This shift has caused policymakers and local residents to change the way they talk about economic growth; as the boom has turned to bustle, the term “boom” has been replaced by “sustained growth.”

$frac sand mine Wisconsin$

Environment/Energy · Featured · Science

Frac Sand Study: Lots of Scare, Little Science

by Isaac Orr
November 3, 2014

Make no mistake, everything we do has an environmental impact, and frac sand mining is no exception. But to exaggerate the costs and ignore the benefits is dishonest. Wisconsin can take reasonable precautions to develop frac sand resources in an environmentally responsible way and continue to enjoy the benefits of creating thousands of high-paying jobs throughout the state.

Air Monitoring Data at Frac Sand Facilities Not Scary

by Isaac Orr
October 30, 2014

Halloween is upon us, and once again opponents of frac sand mining are trying to scare people in Wisconsin and other parts of the Upper Midwest by producing one-sided studies based on unscientific, anecdotal evidence (which is subject to cherry-picking and other biases) to back their claims. Fortunately, the scariest claims these organizations have made about the potential public health impacts of frac sand mining are not supported by the scientific data, and in many cases the data suggest just the opposite.

Net Metering Gives Big Advantage to the Wealthy

by Isaac Orr
October 27, 2014

Champagne wishes and caviar dreams are coming true thanks to a government policy called net metering, which allows wealthy environmentalists who have installed solar panels on their roofs to profit unfairly at the expense of economically-disadvantaged people who can’t afford the technology themselves.