By Amy Dalrymple | Editor
Mac McLennan, president and CEO of Minnkota Power, speaks Oct. 6, 2026, to a legislative committee at Grand Farm near Casselton, North Dakota. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jeff Beach
Minnkota Power Cooperative plans to add a natural gas-fired power plant in Cass County, taking advantage of a planned pipeline to supply the gas from western North Dakota.
Mac McLennan, president and CEO of Grand Forks-based Minnkota, said Tuesday that the co-op has purchased land in Harmony Township, north of Mapleton.
He said the project is possible because of the Bakken East Pipeline project that will take natural gas from McKenzie County in the heart of the Bakken oil producing region to eastern North Dakota.
McLennan said North Dakota’s electrical grid is under pressure, with demand increasing after a period of relatively flat growth. He told the committee that adding generation in eastern North Dakota strengthens the grid and helps protect customers in the east from outages.
Members of the North Dakota House of Representatives participate in a special session of the Legislature on Sept. 4, 2026. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jack Dura
North Dakota’s special legislative session last month cost about $220,000, according to the Legislature’s staff agency.
Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong called the special session for the GOP-led Legislature to restrict kratom products. Lawmakers met Sept. 2-4, with a policy committee meeting on Sept. 1 to take public testimony in advance of the special session.
The two-year budget for the Legislature will cover the costs, which will reduce the funding available for paying the upcoming 2027 session costs, said Allen Knudson, legislative budget analyst and auditor. Officials may have to request what is called a deficiency appropriation if the budget won’t be enough to entirely cover the next regular session, he said.
Diesel cost about $6 a gallon on Oct. 4, 2026, in Bowman, North Dakota. Lawmakers in several states are suspending gas taxes or rolling back regulations on diesel fuel as voters grow increasingly frustrated with rising fuel costs. (Photo by Amy Dalrymple/North Dakota Monitor)
By Alex Brown
With Election Day less than a month away, lawmakers in several states are suspending gas taxes or rolling back regulations on diesel fuel as voters grow increasingly frustrated with rising fuel costs amid President Donald Trump’s war with Iran.
On Tuesday, Trump issued an executive order to expand access to tax-free diesel fuel nationwide, following the lead of several governors who have taken the same step. Trump signed the order at a Nebraska rally.
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong last week issued an order allowing a lower-taxed version of diesel to be used on highways and not just in the field. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina and Indiana have all issued similar orders, according to The Associated Press.
EARLIER ND MONITOR NEWS AND COMMENTARY
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FROM STATES NEWSROOM
Women practice yoga during a community yoga class in Tulsa, Okla., in 2021. New research produced by the University of Michigan finds an association between higher out-of-pocket health insurance expenses and states with abortion bans, with data showing differences were even higher for Black and Hispanic women. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
By Kelcie Moseley-Morris
New preliminary research from the University of Michigan shows women living in states with post-Dobbs abortion bans may be more likely to shoulder costs for employer-sponsored health insurance premiums, with federal data reflecting a 5.4% increase in annual premium expenditures for those women after 2022, when most abortion bans went into effect.
The study used national data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019-2025 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement to compare individual medical out-of-pocket costs for women of reproductive age between 18 and 44. The study, which hasn’t yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, received financial support from the Center for Reproductive Rights, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.
“State abortion bans were associated with an increase in women’s likelihood of paying out-of-pocket for health insurance premiums,” the study said.
Democrats more trusted on healthcare costs, survey shows | Jennifer Shutt
Voters to decide if Montana judiciary needs to be more political | Daily Montanan
FROM OTHER ND MEDIA OUTLETS
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