Geoff Simon's Quick Connects -- February 21, 2025

• North Dakota gas prices 15 cents below national average -- McKenzie County Farmer

• Fedorchak urges state to lead energy efforts to empower AI -- North Dakota Monitor

• North Dakota lawmakers vote to raise gas tax to fund roads -- Bismarck Tribune

• Lignite Energy Council President - coal industry is built for extreme cold -- WDAY

• Harsh and temperamental North Dakota winters are an attractive asset for data centers -- KFYR - TV

• Kinder Morgan finalizes $640 million purchase of ND gas gathering system -- Pipeline & Gas Journal

• North Dakota regulators fine wind company NextEra for disturbing tribal artifacts -- Bismarck Tribune

• Save the Dakota Access Pipeline that transports 5% of US oil, was left in limbo -- Wall Street Journal

• Understanding how oil and gas industry safety standards evolved over past decade -- Williston Herald

• Wyoming's nuclear microreactor industry runs into legislative snag, unanswered questions -- WyoFile

• Mac Schneider resigns as North Dakota US attorney; served in role since late 2022 -- Dickinson Press

• Brutal cold blankets North Dakota; driving restrictions eased for propane haulers -- Bismarck Tribune

• Resolution would remove North Dakota governor's ability to appoint judges, justices -- Bismarck Tribune

• House lawmakers overwhelmingly pass bill looking to create a task force similar to DOGE -- KFYR-TV

• HB 1455 seeks to strengthen tribal consultation on North Dakota legislation -- North Dakota Monitor

• Legislation approved in House would endorse forming a trade commission with Ireland -- The Journal

• House passes bills to protect state tribes through task forces, cultural preservation -- Bismarck Tribune

• Bill promoted by Ethics Commission gets '11th hour' opposition from Armstrong -- North Dakota Monitor

• Rural Caucus in ND Legislature aims to strengthen increasingly overlooked voices -- Fargo Forum

• Williams County gives go-ahead for another data center to apply for conditional use permit -- KFYR - TV

• Williston Care Flight returns air ambulance services to region in the coming months -- Williston Herald

• McKenzie County newspaper asking for help, support from local community -- McKenzie County Farmer

• Hoeven, Cramer introduce bill to help Roosevelt Presidential Library acquire artifacts -- News Release

• 'Old Ford building' gets a new lease on life with groundbreaking for event space -- Williston Herald

• ND House passes school choice bill by slim margin, similar bills fail in Legislature -- Dickinson Press

• Education Savings Accounts for all North Dakota students passes Senate -- North Dakota Monitor

• North Dakota bill proposes state-funded tuition aid for private school students -- Dickinson Press

• Public charter schools bill gets strong support from North Dakota Senate -- North Dakota Monitor

• Support for free school meals legislation dims at North Dakota Legislature -- Bismarck Tribune

• Amended tenure policy bill advances to North Dakota Senate on 85-4 vote -- North Dakota Monitor

• Minot Public School District weighing options with land near Ramstad Middle School -- KFYR - TV

• More bills proposed in legislature would affect K-12 students, schools throughout state -- The Journal

• Lawmakers reject bill seeking to change rules for how high school athletes switch teams -- KX News

• West Fargo Public School District voters give approval to $100 million school bond -- Valley News Live

• Beulah Public Schools' Board of Education tackles maintenance issues at meeting -- Hazen Star

• White House launches National Energy Dominance Council to promote fossil fuels -- E&E News

• Zeldin to try taking back $20B in IRA grants; accused Biden admin of trying to hide money -- E&E News

• Trump is calling for energy dominance, but aging shale plays aren't positioned to deliver -- E&E News

• Utilities nationwide are falling back on fossil fuels to meet huge energy demand of data centers -- Grist

• Trump admin identifies hundreds of 'emergency' energy projects that could be fast-tracked -- The Hill

• DOE Chief Chris Wright slams "sinister" net zero goals as "lunacy," praises fossil fuels -- Yahoo News

• DOE Secretary Wright: Coal is critical to meeting energy demand -- Institute for Energy Research

• The end of coal is nowhere in sight; global consumption could hit a new all-time high -- Oilprice.com

• Trump's dismantling of "environmental justice" offices is ticking off climate activists -- Daily Caller

• Trump's funding freeze leaves renewables floundering, media and green groups panic -- Just The News

• Donald Trump is dismantling Biden's Green New Deal scam and restoring energy freedom -- Townhall

• Climatologist: No rise in weather disasters despite record atmospheric CO levels -- Irrational Fear

• New report: Rising CO2 levels increasing crop yields, defying biased climate models -- NoTricksZone

Geoff Simon's Quick Connects -- February 14, 2025

• Critical minerals research of North Dakota lignite shows promise -- Minot Daily News

• North Dakota lawmakers consider funding for tribal oil spills study -- Dickinson Press

• ND's mineral resources director says energy industry in transition -- Minot Daily News

• Pair of anti-carbon capture bills fails in North Dakota Senate -- Bismarck Tribune

• Oil wells are up in most recent count from North Dakota, new natural gas pipeline planned -- KX News

• Port: Things are looking bright for CO2 capture under the Trump administration -- Fargo Forum

• On the House Floor: Fedorchak offers solutions for the nation's energy reliability crisis -- News release

• Cramer questions North Dakota witness Kevin Connors on CO2 Capture and Storage -- News release

• Senate resolution calls for expanding PSC from 3 to 5, dividing members into districts -- KFYR - TV

• North Dakota lawmakers advance property tax reform bills as deadline approaches -- Bismarck Tribune

• Proposed ballot initiative targets lawmaker public records, salaries, conflicts -- North Dakota Monitor

• HB 1493 proposes repeal of North Dakota immigration office amid workforce crisis -- Dickinson Press

• North Dakota Legislature eyes $300M plan to rebuild State Hospital in Jamestown -- Bismarck Tribune

• Senator's son pleads guilty in crash that preceded chase leading to deputy's death -- Associated Press

• Armstrong's plans for property tax relief, affordable housing, criminal justice reform -- Dickinson Press

• Dohrmann to chair ND Military Commission; Armstrong signs executive order -- Office of the Governor

• State asked to move away from foreign drones on privacy and security concerns -- Minot Daily News

• House committee favors resolution calling for federal purchase of Greenland on 9-3 vote -- KFYR - TV

• State geologist, team, students uncover 13,500 year-old bones in Burke County -- Minot Daily News

• ND Senate bill to support towns of 8,500 people or fewer passes on to appropriations -- Dickinson Press

• Mixed reaction from county officials on infrastructure funding bill Enget is co-sponsoring -- The Journal

• Billings County Commission reinstates state's attorney Pat Wier after public outcry -- Dickinson Press

• ND District 23 GOP executive committee offers 'no confidence' vote to Rep. Rios -- Williston Herald

• Undocumented immigrants picked up in Mercer County during traffic stop -- The Center Republican

• Minot Air Force Base economic impact grows to $651M in 2024; $30M increase over 2023 -- KFYR - TV

• Bills look to expand student opportunities through educational savings accounts -- North Dakota Monitor

• North Dakota House advances 1 of 3 ESA bills while Senate considers 2 more -- North Dakota Monitor

• North Dakota lawmakers to discuss adding intelligent design to science curriculum -- Dickinson Press

• Bills introduced in House seek to add new required curriculum to North Dakota schools -- KFYR - TV

• Williston State College sees enrollment increase of over 20% for spring semester -- Williston Herald

• Tenure ban for North Dakota colleges withdrawn, but policy debate continues -- North Dakota Monitor

• Trump blasts 'big con job' Dept. of Education, would like it closed 'immediately' -- Business & Politics

• House defeats bill to display Ten Commandments in public schools, colleges -- North Dakota Monitor

• Williston Basin CTE expands offerings, looks to future growth after first 5 months -- Williston Herald

• SD legislative committee endorses ban on taxpayer-funded education lobbying -- SD Searchlight

• FERC approves PJM's fast-track shovel-ready power plant interconnection plan -- Utility Dive

• Europe's oil demand could rise as natural gas soars to $100 a barrel equivalent amid cold -- Oil Price

• China's 15% tariff on American coal imports likely to minimally impact US producers -- RealClearEnergy

• China's coal power construction is at a decade-high despite soaring wind and solar -- Oil Price

• New database proves that resistance to Big Wind/Big Solar is real, growing, and global -- Robert Bryce

• Data center demand to push US power use to record highs in 2025 and 2026, EIA says -- Reuters

• President Trump picks oil industry vets for key posts in EPA and Interior Department -- The Hill

• EPA admin Zeldin finds, demands return of $20 billion Biden 'threw off the Titanic' on his way out -- BPR

• US drillers add oil and gas rigs for second week in a row; total count still down from last year -- Reuters

• Chevron plans to lay off up to 20% of its workforce, according to a company spokesperson -- The Hill

• Federal judge has again scrapped a lawsuit launched by California youth against EPA -- E&E News

• 15 US Senate Republicans call for $1,000 tax on new EV sales to pay for road repairs -- Reuters

• Nearly 95% of countries have missed UN deadline to submit new 2035 climate pledges -- Carbon Brief

• End of coal is nowhere in sight; developing Asian markets boosting coal-fired generation -- Oil Price

• Net zero dreams meet energy affordability reality; public pushing back on rising costs -- Oil Price