By Amy Dalrymple | Editor
An electrical substation is adjacent to a solar farm north of Mapleton, North Dakota. The Bison Substation area could also become home to a battery storage site and a data center. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jeff Beach
A data center planned in North Dakota’s Cass County would use nearly twice the power of a data center under construction in the Fargo area.
Minnesota-based Geronimo Power has filed for a conditional use permit for a data center in Harmony Township, near the Bison Substation north of Mapleton.
The company also has created a web page about its plans and invited people to discuss the Harmony Energy Park project at its Casselton office and Thursday morning at a cafe in Casselton.
Geronimo’s project would use 540 megawatts at peak demand, according to the website.
Former state lawmaker Brandon Prichard gives a North Dakota Young Republicans update to the NDGOP state convention at the State Fairgrounds in Minot on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jack Dura
Three North Dakota Republican Party officials are suing the state’s top election official over what they say is inconsistent enforcement of election rules.
The state Supreme Court lawsuit comes as absentee voting already is underway in North Dakota. The lawsuit seeks to overturn the election victories of four GOP legislative candidates should any of them win in November.
Citizens Alliance of North Dakota, a political organization led by former Republican state Rep. Brandon Prichard, announced the lawsuit Monday.
Farm workers load beans into a grain truck Sept. 28, 2025, in Wells County, N.D. Diesel fuel used in trucks is usually taxed at a higher rate than diesel used in the tractor. A governor's executive order for the 2026 harvest means trucks can use lower-taxed diesel. (Photo by Lora Wobbema/For the North Dakota Monitor)
By Jeff Beach
North Dakota farmers will get a break on surging diesel fuel prices as Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Tuesday issued an order allowing a lower-taxed version of diesel to be used on highways and not just in the field.
North Dakota charges a tax of 23 cents per gallon on regular diesel fuel but only 4 cents per gallon on red-dyed diesel, which is normally only allowed for off-highway agricultural, industrial and railroad use.
Armstrong’s executive order temporarily expands the use of dyed diesel fuel to vehicles used in ag operations.
EARLIER ND MONITOR NEWS AND COMMENTARY
FROM STATES NEWSROOM
President Donald Trump appears in a taxpayer-funded public service announcement that critics say is indistinguishable from a 2024 campaign ad. (Screenshot from video posted to Truth Social)
By Jonathan Shorman
President Donald Trump is tapping $20 million in Homeland Security funding to pay for TV ads that heavily feature him ahead of the midterm elections, Democrats said Tuesday as the promos critics call propaganda come under bipartisan attack.
The Trump administration recently moved the funds into a U.S. Customs and Border Protection budget line intended for “commemorative events” related to border security, according to federal records. Congressional Democrats said the dollars appear to be funding the ad campaign.
The ads face mounting criticism as Republicans confront an angry electorate that, according to polling, appears likely to place Democrats in control of the House and possibly the Senate.
FROM OTHER ND MEDIA OUTLETS
Some stories may require a paid subscription.
Thanks for reading North Dakota Monitor. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.