Category Archive: Events

1. The Energy Corridor’s New Look

   June 19, 2014 Leave a Comment

   Welcome to the Great Plains Energy Corridor’s fresh new look! There are lots of new things for you to check out, like:

   

   The Great Plains Energy Corridor new logo

   • A new annual report – Check out the Spotlight on ND Energy, which includes up-to-date information and statistics from all of North Dakota’s energy sectors.
   • A new website – Cruise around and see what you think. As always, your suggestions and feedback are welcomed, so let me know what you think here. Also, new things will be added to the site periodically, like a cool, interactive “Energy Sites of North Dakota” map. You’ll be the first to know when it’s live.
   • An updated newsletter – Same handy news highlights, but hopefully you’ll find the new template more user-friendly and convenient for getting quick access to current statewide, regional and national energy news and events. If you like it, pass it on to your friends and coworkers to get them signed up. And while you’re at it, keep me in the loop if you’ve got news or events that I should include.
   • A new logo – We can’t make all these changes without a splashy new look!

   Thanks for being a part of the Great Plains Energy Corridor family!

    

2. EPA Administrator to visit North Dakota

   February 28, 2014 Leave a Comment

   U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp invited Gina McCarthy, Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to visit North Dakota and see how recent policies impact the state’s energy industry. Heitkamp said that she hopes the visit will see how new rules being developed will have a negative impact on places like North Dakota. Heitkamp has been calling for the EPA to visit the state since a recent 11-city tour was announced that overlooked North Dakota. This visit to North Dakota will allow McCarthy to hear from folks who have to implement and fulfill EPA regulations.  Read the full news release from Senator Heitkamp’s website.

3. Strata-X Energy begins project in North Dakota

   February 28, 2014 Leave a Comment

   The Sleeping Giant gas project, over 145,000 acres, has been drilled for the first time. The gas project is composed of shallow gas, and four permits were taken out last year by Strata-X Energy, in collaboration with Major Drilling Co. The permits that were issued are rare for this region. Read all of the details in the Bismarck Tribune.

4. Great Plains & EmPower ND Energy Conference returns

   October 18, 2013 Leave a Comment

   October 15 marked the return of the 7th annual Great Plains & EmPower ND Energy Conference at Bismarck State College. The conference agenda brought together energy industry leaders and speakers from across the region and the country to discuss timely topics in coal, oil, gas, and bio diesel and biofuels. Over the years, the conference has become an opportunity for industry leaders to collaborate and share information that will help open up new opportunities for North Dakota in the energy sector. Read more from KXNet.

5. Celebrating 44 years of lineworker training

   October 18, 2013 Leave a Comment

   Bismarck State College’s Lineworker Program has been helping shape careers since 1970. The program is BSC’s oldest and started with just 13 students the first year. In the 44 years of the program, it has grown to more than 50 students, maximum capacity, and has a strong future ahead. Course instructors say that their students have a love for the outdoors, and find the program to be a good fit. Lineworker students do most of their training at BSC’s two-acre facility in Mandan. Read more highlights from KFYR TV.

6. Natural gas opportunities are growing

   September 23, 2013 Leave a Comment

   An energy conference was recently held in Bismarck, and part of the discussion focused on natural gas and the future in North Dakota, particularly in vehicles. The benefits of using natural gas in vehicles include lower emissions and lower cost than diesel fuel; however, there are also many challenges to using natural gas in vehicles. Among the challenges is the expense of building new natural gas fueling stations. Currently, North Dakota has two natural gas stations, and experts say that at least eight are needed to make natural gas vehicles a possibility. Costs would range from a few hundred thousand dollars to $1 million.  Read more from the Bismarck Tribune.

    

7. North Dakota to host Moldovan delegates

   September 6, 2013 Leave a Comment

   North Dakota’s energy opportunities are catching the attention of people from outside the United States. During the week of September 9, a group of delegates from Moldova will spend time learning about North Dakota and the energy industry. Moldova and North Dakota have similar climates and both also have agricultural economies, so the opportunity to learn how energy is at work within this state will provide valuable information to the delegates. Read more from the Bismarck Tribune.

8. Expanded partnership being studied

   August 30, 2013 Leave a Comment

   CHS, Inc. and Dakota Plains Cooperative are exploring the opportunity of merging, in an effort to enhance agronomy assets in the east central portion of North Dakota. Both companies expressed their interest  in seeing what the merger could bring for their organizations and constituents. CHS, Inc. is an agribusiness that diversifies in energy, grain and foods, and Dakota Plains Cooperative is a full-service agribusiness headquartered in Valley City, ND. More information is available from the Wall Street Journal.

9. ND Legacy Fund drawing interest from West Virginia

   August 23, 2013 Leave a Comment

   In August, 17 members from West Virginia (WV) will visit North Dakota’s capital city to discuss the Legacy Fund that was established in 2010. Oil and gas revenue has pushed the fund to more than $1.3 billion, which will continue to grow and can’t be touched until 2017. WV has a wealth of natural gas and sees the Legacy Fund as a model they could establish in their state. WV’s Senate President sees the fund as an opportunity to help the state set aside resources for the future. Read the full article in the Jamestown Sun.

10. Leland Olds Station ready to meet emissions limits

    August 9, 2013 Leave a Comment

    Leland Olds Station, the first coal-powered station constructed by Basin Electric Power Cooperative, is ready to meet emissions limits set to go into effect at the end of 2013. The Regional Haze Rule is an effort put into place by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve air quality in national parks and other wilderness areas. The scrubbers at Leland Olds help remove sulfur dioxide emissions from burning coal during the process of generating electricity. The plant itself was originally constructed with one unit in 1966, and a second unit was added in 1975. Read more from Basin Electric.