News

During the 2023 legislative session, $300,000 was appropriated to the Industrial Commission to contract for carbon capture and utilization education and marketing. The Industrial Commission is soliciting applications for grant funding to aid in the development of a Carbon Capture and Utilization Education and Marketing Strategic Plan. 

S&P Affirms Bank of North Dakota Credit Rating

BISMARCK, N.D. – The Industrial Commission reports that Standard & Poor’s (S&P) affirmed Bank of North Dakota’s (BND) credit rating as A+/Stable in its annual review released Nov. 6.

BISMARCK, N.D. – Todd Steinwand, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of North Dakota (BND), has announced his intention to retire in the second quarter of 2024. An exact date has not been established but he pledged to continue to work with the Industrial Commission (Commission) during the transition. An executive search committee was approved at today’s Industrial Commission meeting.

The North Dakota Industrial Commission, consisting of Gov. Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, approved $15 million in matching grants and $222.5 million in loans during the latest grant rounds for the Oil and Gas Research and Clean Sustainable Energy programs. Both programs are funded by oil and gas production tax and state mineral royalty revenues. The Oil and Gas Research Program was established in 2007 to provide grants for projects that enhance the production of oil and natural gas in North Dakota. The Clean Sustainable Energy Program was established in 2021 to advance the commercialization of low-emissions technologies for North Dakota’s energy industry.

BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) has selected Claire Vigesaa to serve as the next executive director of the North Dakota Transmission Authority. Vigesaa retired in 2022 as general manager and CEO for the Upper Missouri Power Cooperative after a 40-year career in the electric cooperative industry. Vigesaa has been serving as deputy director of the Transmission Authority since retirement.

BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Industrial Commission has approved changes that will allow North Dakota Housing Finance Agency (NDHFA) to provide mortgage loan financing to individuals and families with a higher yearly income in most counties. They have also increased the acquisition (purchase price) limit for financed properties.

The North Dakota Industrial Commission, consisting of Gov. Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, approved $6.3 million in Outdoor Heritage Fund and Renewable Energy Program matching grants. Both programs are funded solely by oil and gas production tax revenue. The Outdoor Heritage Fund was established in 2013 to provide grants for projects that enhance outdoor conservation practices in the state. The Renewable Energy Program was established in 2007 to promote research and utilization of North Dakota’s renewable energy resources, including advanced biofuels.

North Dakota’s regulatory framework for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide continues to lead the nation as the North Dakota Industrial Commission today approved its fourth carbon capture and storage facility. North Dakota was the first state to receive primacy of Class VI wells from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2018.

On May 23, 2023, North Dakota joined three other states and two tribal nations in receiving the first Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). North Dakota was awarded $7.5 million, which will be administered by the North Dakota Industrial Commission through its Transmission Authority. The Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant program aims to ensure the reliability of power sector infrastructure so that communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity.

The North Dakota Industrial Commission approved $11.4 million in Lignite Research, Development and Marketing Program matching grants for seven new research projects. The funding, generated from lignite severance tax as well as oil and gas production tax revenue, supports the growth of North Dakota’s lignite industry through research and education.