Bills to support coal are on rise at North Dakota Capitol

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — Bills to help North Dakota’s coal industry are getting some traction as the state’s Legislature nears its halfway break. The Minot Daily News reports the current session has had more than its usual number of energy-related bills, particularly those aimed at coal. The newspaper reports that Great River Energy’s plans to close its Coal Creek generating station near Washburn next year has raised alarms for the coal industry. The bills range from tax holidays to providing more research money to support coal. Scott Skokos is executive director of Dakota Resource Council. He said his organization doesn’t oppose clean coal technologies being proposed but questions their feasibility and whether government money should be used to pay for development.