Browsing the recent committee and fund registrations at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, we noticed the creation of the Lignite Energy Council Political Fund on February 7.
The screengrab on the top of this post is from the fund's website. which states its goal is "Supporting affordable and reliable baseload energy and the future of carbon capture."
We read this development in the light of articles and commentary in the Bismarck Tribune about the fate of Great River Energy's Coal Creek power plant and the North American Coal Company lignite Falkirk Mine. There's Decision about changes at troubled coal plant to come this year.
There's last week's editorial Tribune editorial: State can’t ignore coal warning signs.
Earlier in February, the Tribune posted the Associated Press short followup,North Dakota power plant mulls solutions amid financial woes, after publishing Coal Creek power plant looking for solutions to financial woes.
Such news suggest that changes might be coming in Great River Energy's strategy for serving the needs of the non-profit's member coops. Here's the About page on GRE's website:
Great River Energy is a not-for-profit electric cooperative owned by its 28 member cooperatives. We generate and transmit electricity for those members, located in the outer-ring suburbs of the Twin Cities up to the Arrowhead region of Minnesota and down to the farmland region in the southwestern portion of the state.
Like other cooperatives, Great River Energy exists to serve its membership and is dedicated to helping the communities in which it operates. We are member-controlled and governed by a democratically elected board of directors who are electric cooperative members themselves. Board members establish rates and develop policies in the best interest of Great River Energy and its members.
Collectively, our member cooperatives serve more than 685,000 member-consumers — or about 1.7 million people. Great River Energy owns and operates 11 power plants, plus we purchase additional power from several wind farms and other generating facilities.
Great River Energy owns and operates nearly 4,800 miles of transmission line and owns or partly owns more than 100 transmission substations. Great River Energy’s more than 900 employees are dedicated to serving our member cooperatives with integrity and accountability in an environmentally sensitive manner. It’s the nature of being a cooperative.
The financially troubled Coal Creek plant uses lignite coal as its feedstock, and that's the concern of our friends at the Lignite Energy Council. We're guessing that the creation of the Minnesota state-level political fund is somehow related.
The Chair and Treasurer of the Lignite Energy Council Political Fund is Jonathan Fortner, while Deputy Treasurer is Marie Hoerner. According to the staff page on the LEC's website, Fortner is Director of Government Relations, while Hoerner is Director of Financial and Benefit Resources.
Fortner is one of five lobbyists registered with the board to represent the Lignite Energy Council.
What is the Lignite Energy Council? According its website:
The primary objective of the Lignite Energy Council is to maintain a viable lignite coal industry and enhance development of the region’s lignite coal resources for use in generating electricity, synthetic natural gas and valuable byproducts.
Members of the Lignite Energy Council include mining companies, major users that use lignite to generate electricity, synthetic natural gas and other valuable byproducts, and businesses that provide goods and services to the lignite industry.
According to the North Dakota Industrial Commission page on the Partnership between the Lignite Research Council, the Commission:
The state/industry partnership includes the Industrial Commission, and the Lignite Energy Council which have entered into a partnership to administer the Lignite Research, Development and Marketing Program. Following is a quick explanation of how the program works:
The North Dakota Legislature enacts legislation and appropriates funding for the program. The Lignite Research Council recommends policies and funding for projects to the Industrial Commission. The Industrial Commission approves policies and funding for projects.
The Industrial Commission and the Lignite Energy Council administer the program and all Lignite Research, Development and Marketing Program projects.
The 2018 LEC Annual Report details what the organization did that year.
Here's the North Dakota Governor's Board and Commissions page for the Lignite Research Council.
One of the LEC marketing programs funded by the North Industrial Commission is the Coalition for a Secure Energy Future. We've looked at this front group for the coal industry in past posts like Horse hockey: who's pushing the puck for new Coalition for a Secure Energy Future TV ad?, Will scheduling woes keep lawmakers away from Coalition for a Secure Energy Future's free food?, and ND state/lignite industry partnership continues funding for Coalition for Secure Energy Future .
We won't know where the which party committees, candidates other political funds or independent expenditures Lignite Energy Council Political Fund contributes to or underwrites--or which groups and individuals are contributing to the fund--until after the first reporting deadline for political funds on April 14, according to the Campaign Finance Board's calendar for political funds. The next deadline is June 15.
It's worth noting one rule in that document that guides political fund giving to members, caucuses of the Minnesota legislature, and candidates for office:
February 11 through May 18
Legislative session. A political committee or political fund may not make contributions to candidate committees or the four legislative caucuses during the regular legislative session. This prohibition applies to incumbent and non-incumbent legislative and constitutional office candidates, but does not apply to judicial and special election candidates.
The new state-level fund joins an earlier federal level PAC, 2018 cycle funding summarized here by Open Secrets.
Clearly, carbon is what all the cool kids want these days.
Recent related posts:
- UCS: MN's electricity sector transitioning but electric coops remain tied to coal-fired plants
- Did thousands of people coming to Capitol to demand climate action change Bakk's heart?
- MN Senate Majority Leader Gazelka embraces the gospel of Minnesotans for Global Warming
Screengrab: From the Lignite Energy Council Political Fund's website.
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