With an average of 100 days of snowfall per year in Minnesota, it’s fair to say that some of us regularly contract cabin fever. And even though we love our state, it’s still a source of everyday antics that, sometimes, we’d like to escape. Sure, we love our state and embrace a good hygge, a cozy winter storm, and a day at the lake, but sometimes you just want to get away.

Traveling to somewhere warm (and different) to escape the monotony of our day-to-day routines is a welcome reprieve. It’s a way to reset, see someplace new, and unwind, and there’s no better way to travel than flying like the birds.

Back in the early 1990s, Minnesotans who regularly traveled south for the winter for long periods (think months, not a week’s vacation) helped coin the term snowbird.  A snowbird is usually an older, retired person who enjoys – or possibly benefits health-wise – from being in a warmer climate during Minnesota’s harsh winter months. Now, more than ever, individuals and families have the ability to travel. These adventures help us see new places, better understand new cultures and see the world through a new perspective.

According to the annual Airlines for America report, almost 50 percent of travelers in the United States flew on an airline in 2017, and nearly 90 percent of survey respondents have taken a commercial flight in their lifetime. On average, Americans took about three airline trips for 2017; many took more than five airline trips for the year.

More Americans are turning to the skies, and Minnesota is no exception. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2017 alone, Minnesota burned about $250 million worth of jet fuel flying folks in and out of the state. During this same period, a record 38,034,341 passengers traveled through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The airport, which served more than 38 million travelers in 2018, supports 86,900 jobs and generates $15.9 billion in total economic output for the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Although Minnesota has no fossil fuel production, the state does have two refineries. These industrial facilities process (or refine) crude oil, which produces products for Minnesota’s transportation needs, including jet fuel, diesel fuel, and gasoline. Minnesota also plays an important role in moving fuels to markets via pipeline throughout the Midwest, and beyond. Without pipelines, Minnesota wouldn’t see a whole lot of oil for our refineries. Moreover, without refineries, we wouldn’t see much fuel to get us where we need, or want, to be. Like out exploring the world and learning about new cultures.

That’s why the current effort underway to modernize Minnesota’s Line 3 is so essential. If we successfully replace and upgrade this pipeline, we’ll be able to continue to meet the energy needs for travelers, families, seniors, households, motorists, and businesses across the state. Moreover, that’s good news for everyone.

I guess it’s safe to say, without oil, our airplanes – and our vacations—would be stuck, sitting idle on the tarmac.

Public schools are far from perfect, but they offer significant benefits we probably overlook each day. Unless you really stop to think about it, those benefits are probably taken for granted. Whether you’re a parent or a student, you benefit.

Here’s why. The bus transportation for public schools.

Each weekday morning, millions of school children across the country ride a few of those familiar, big, yellow buses that shuttle students on their way to school. According to the American School Bus Council, school buses safely deliver more than 25 million children to school each day. Heck, you may even remember taking one yourself.

If you happen to be a parent of a school bus rider, you’re probably doing something that doesn’t allow you to drop your kids off at school. You might be headed to your own job simultaneously, grocery shopping, or taking on any number of daily errands. The average school bus holds about 40 children, which means there are 39 fewer vehicles on the road with you – and less traffic is pretty much always a good thing,

Fewer cars on the road also mean fewer emissions released into the air, and therefore better for our environment. As modern school bus fleets move towards alternative fuels like cleaner diesel engines or clean-burning natural gas, the benefits to our air quality will only get better.

School buses also give access to all children, and they’re usually pretty convenient. Plus, not everyone can afford, or even wants, to own their own vehicle. Some opt for an urban lifestyle, which means condensed living and walkable areas close to shopping, dining, and car-sharing services for the times they do need or want a vehicle for a short, temporary time. While living closer to the city may mean higher home or living prices, that cost can be offset through the savings of not paying for a vehicle and its maintenance, insurance, and fuel.

As noted at Governing.com, an estimated 8.7 percent of U.S. households were without vehicles in 2016. Car-free households are generally much more common in densely-populated urban areas, and high poverty neighborhoods, where residents can’t afford to own a car. Research also suggests that younger families and single-person households are more likely not to own a car. Tack on the idea of driverless vehicles in the future and many more may opt to ditch personal cars in the future.

Despite the occasional incident on the news, buses are indeed safer. They were designed with student safety in mind and specific school bus safety laws such as always stopping at the flashing stop sign attached to the bus when children are loading or unloading help keep our kids safe. The sides of school buses are reinforced steel to protect passengers in a crash, and the high seat back is there to protect drivers during an impact. Parents who think that their children are safer if they drive them to school should consider this: students are about 70 times more likely to get to school safely when taking a bus instead of traveling by car.

Riding a bus to school each day can also teach children time management. Effective and efficient time management is critical to capitalize on the benefits of school buses and the tight timelines they keep. It may also teach them to be more responsible by waking up early, or on time, so they can prepare the things they need for school. Who can argue with a benefit like that?

However, none of these benefits would be possible without drivers and the energy needed to get students to school safely, and on time.

Here in Minnesota, we like our beer cold, our hotdish piping, and our Walleye light and flakey to perfection. Maybe many outsiders shiver at the thought of our average 20-something degree temperatures in winter, but they sure love the long warm days of summer.

According to the Outdoor Industry Association, 70% of Minnesota residents participate in outdoor recreation each year. At 140,000 jobs with an economic impact of $16.7 billion annually, more jobs in Minnesota depend on outdoor recreation than on hospitals and health systems. Uff-da, that’s a lot!

In fact, 73 million visitors made overnight and day trips in 2017. Of those, 523,600 were Canadian, and another 456,800 were international visitors. That’s just for Minnesota. Travel across the country has increased by 5.8 percent in the last four months, and international travel has increased by 4.7 percent over the previous year. Let’s face it; there is no better way to escape the day-to-day routines of our lives than to interact with new people and cultures, all while eating new food than traveling. So why not Minnesota?

There is so much to do all across the state. While winter and fall command their fair share of travelers, it is summer that brings more people to the state. Moreover, when it comes to the outdoors and energy, there’s one thing they both have in common. To be responsible.

Whether it’s for small outdoor stoves, battery-powered lanterns, or a solar-powered radio to accompany you on boating, hiking or fishing trip, energy is ingrained into all of our outdoor recreations. Responsible clean up after one of these trips is a practice each one of us tries to implement each time we’re out. Likewise, energy companies aim to produce, and transport, energy while protecting – and sometimes improving – the environment they operate in. Pack it in, pack it out and leave no trace is a motto both industries can, AND DO support.

That’s why the plan to replace and upgrade Line 3 makes sense.

Upgrading the Line 3 pipeline will provide tremendous economic benefits with over $2.1 billion in new investment and over $330 million in new payroll for workers in Minnesota. Local communities that rely on tax dollars provided by the pipeline to help fund schools, roads, and first responders would also see significant new revenues for construction and related activities.  According to a study by the University of Minnesota Duluth, the Line 3 Replacement project will create 8,600 jobs – with 76 percent being local.

Even better, experts in engineering widely agree that pipelines are the safest, most economical and environmentally-friendly means of moving large volumes of liquids. Alternatives to pipelines often include using trucks, rail or sometimes boats and barges, all of which pose a higher risk for spills or accidents, not to mention they can add additional traffic to our roads and waterways.

Pipelines are also buried underground, which means less impact on the surface. In fact, there are more than 2.4 million miles of buried pipelines in the United States, sitting beneath our homes, cities, and farmland.  After a pipeline is buried, the lands are reclaimed and reused for other purposes, including outdoor recreation. And yes, they can even safely go under rivers and lakes.

That means you, or anyone could be fishing right above one right now. So, the next time you’re out enjoying your next adventure, remember the link between energy and the outdoors.  Without it, our experiences just wouldn’t be the same.