magazine

North Dakota lignite mines work hard
to maintain a positive and mutually
beneficial relationship with landowners
and neighbors. The mining companies and
landowners work side-by-side to ensure
that every effort is made to maintain
or improve things like soil quality and
habitat variability to enhance quality of
life, health, safety and the economy.
Research and development is a key component
using North Dakota’s abundant coal reserves
to generate electricity affordably and with
the least amount of emissions. As an industry
leader and supporter, North Dakota is
helping the industry forge ahead with new
technologies and partnerships.
By Jarrod Tully
For many years, coal’s reputation has
taken a beating. It has been labeled
as bad for the environment and
blamed for contributing to global
warming. But since the early days,
the logistics of coal mining have changed a lot
in an effort to minimize the environmental impact.
But changing public perception has been
tougher. Jason Bohrer, North Dakota’s new coal
lobbyist, is working hard to educate people on
the new way of doing business.
Bohrer is also the president of the North Dakota
Lignite Energy Council. He is philosophical
when explaining why coal gets the bad rap that
it does. “One reason is that we have been so successful
and so reliable for so long that coal slid off
of the public’s radar screen,” he says.
“Look at Apple and Microsoft. Microsoft
was the powerhouse of the computer world
for so long that its continued improvement
was overshadowed by newer industries like
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