Energy future is promising

North Dakota has long been an energy powerhouse. 

Though perhaps best known in recent years for its oil boom, or even for ethanol or biofuels or, more recently, for wind power or natural gas, none of these were the state’s first energy story.

With the focus on so-called “renewable” energy sources, even talk about other sources of electric power focuses upon nuclear or natural gas — not on what started our energy story and what still powers much of it, today.

North Dakota’s long-standing, reliable energy source may not be making headlines, but it’s usually what turns the lights on when you flip the switch. 

What some so-called environmentalists and “renewable energy” advocates don’t talk about is that the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine so a reliable energy source — baseload power — is required to keep the lights on, the furnace running, or the state and nation powered.

In North Dakota, for generations, that energy source has been coal. 

It’s not only cost-effective and reliable, it’s abundant here and it’s been one of the state’s most important industries for some time. It powers not only our state, but many others and coal-fired electricity generated here is transmitted to other population centers where it’s badly needed.

Of course, coal has been out of favor in some circles for many years. As a result, planned new coal fired power plants have been scuttled and the focus has been on other energy sources to replace it. That’s a mistake.

While an “all of the above” approach to energy sources is the best one, coals is still often excluded from the discussion. It may surprise many that, in North Dakota, we generate perhaps the world’s cleanest coal-fired electricity and that it’s produced in an environmentally friendly way.

The coal industry may have just received a shot in the arm from provisions in the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” recently passed by Congress. That would be good for North Dakota and good for the nation!

The North Dakota Lignite Energy Council has explained the details here.