Nestled in north central North Dakota, between Bismarck and Minot, McLean County is pretty much in the heart of the state’s “coal country”. As a state, North Dakota has tied its economic fortunes to natural resources — be they agriculture, oil, or coal. The ups and downs of those industries has deeply impacted the state’s fortunes, especially once one gets outside of the I-29 corridor of Fargo and Grand Forks. (Fargo alone contains 17% of the state’s entire population.)
The story begins earlier this year, when Minnesota-based Great River Energy announced it would retire the Coal Creek Station power plant, located in Washburn, North Dakota, by 2022. As the Minot Daily News reported:
Coal Creek employs 260 workers, but its closure also will impact the future of the nearby Falkirk Mine, owned by North American Coal, which supplies the plant with coal and employs about 500 workers.
While other parts of the Upper Midwest have actively been involved in the growth of both wind and solar power, not so much in McLean County. As Fargo Forum columnist Mike McFeeley wrote recently:
There is an aversion to wind power in this area of North Dakota, both because locals see it as a threat to coal and because many view large wind farms as a blight on the wondrous landscape. The Missouri River, Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon are outdoors meccas for fishing, hunting and recreating. Huge swaths of wind towers and power lines blunt the beauty. Recreation dollars are a major source of income for many in this area.
[Take a moment to read his whole column for the context of the entire story.]
The “unsightliness” argument against wind — and solar — is not a new one. More than one North Dakota county imposed moratoriums on the construction of both wind and solar power.
What McLean County is doing though, is more than just fighting a fight against blight. They are, as McFeeley quoted the county attorney (in ND they are called state’s attorney) as saying they were “betting on Einstein”.
He means that the county believes there will not be enough baseload power for the grid without Coal Creek. And that means, somehow, somebody will have to figure out a way for the power plant to profitably burn coal to provide energy. That's where Erickson and McLean County are placing their chips.
It flies in the face of industry trends around the United States, where the coal industry continues to shrink despite President Donald Trump's promises to save it. It flies in the face of what Great River Energy said — that it was losing about $70 million a year operating Coal Creek Station. There's a sense still that the residents of McLean County believe Great River Energy was lying to them.
That's the bet.
It’s a gamble that I will speculate will cost the people of the county dearly. It’s a scenic area along the upper reaches of the Missouri River. Taking a gamble against the odds of economic realities is not a good one for the county’s residents. Here’s to hoping the see that reality soon.
