Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement after Mac McLennan, President and CEO of the Minnkota Power Cooperative, testified before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the essential role of coal-fired electricity in the nation’s grid. McLennan outlined how lignite coal remains the backbone of Minnkota Power’s system and enables the company to deliver power in a wide variety of conditions, which is especially critical to the safety of communities during extreme weather.
This aligns with Hoeven’s efforts to ensure coal is fairly valued as a reliable and affordable source of baseload power that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The senator has been pressing FERC and the administration on this issue, emphasizing the importance of coal as an always-available baseload source of energy.
“Coal is essential to the reliability of the grid, and I appreciate Mac’s efforts to make this case to FERC today,” said Hoeven. “We need baseload sources of power like coal, because it ensures power is available when it is most-needed, regardless of other weather conditions. That’s why we continue our efforts to ensure coal is fairly valued, while also advancing new technologies like Project Tundra to reduce emissions, which will enable our nation to continue benefitting from this abundant and reliable resource.”
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