Latest news with #JeffBeach
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Dakota coal mine to become processing site for Minnesota nickel
A former coal mine near Beulah, N.D., is being converted to a processing site for nickel and other minerals. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) BEULAH, N.D. – A former coal mine in western North Dakota that will be converted into a processing site for nickel mined in Minnesota was touted Wednesday as a way for the U.S. to reduce its reliance on China and other countries for critical minerals needed for electronics and electric vehicles. The processing plant operated by Talon Metals will bring 150 jobs to Beulah, with processing expected to begin in 2028. Electric vehicle maker Tesla has contracted to buy about half the nickel processed in Beulah. Mike Kicis, president of Talon Metals, said the Department of Defense is another likely user of the nickel and other minerals. The raw ore will come from a mine near Tamarack in north-central Minnesota. It will be shipped by rail about 475 miles west to the Westmore Mining site just outside Beulah. The reborn mine site was introduced as the Beulah Minerals Processing Facility in an agreement signing ceremony in Beulah. North Dakota officials were at the signing ceremony to highlight what they said was the importance of domestic production of critical minerals such as nickel. 'It is a real national security issue,' Gov. Kelly Armstrong said of the U.S. reliance on China and countries for critical minerals such as nickel. Armstrong said the agreement is 'proof that North Dakota could be a leader in cutting edge, innovative projects combining economic development with environmental responsibility and community engagement.' The plan is contingent on permitting in North Dakota and Minnesota and at the federal level. The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality is among the agencies that will review the project. The mine has been opposed by some Native American and environmental groups in Minnesota that say the mining could pollute sensitive waters. Kicis said Talon has tried to address environmental concerns at the mine site by making plans for a building over the mine opening so railcars can be loaded indoors. Some of the environmental concerns have been about the processing that is slated for Beulah and the waste, also known as tailings, that results from separating the nickel and other minerals. Talon officials said Wednesday that there are potential uses for the waste, such as concrete, with the ash from burned coal as an ingredient. U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said the $365 million investment is an economic win and by recycling the waste products to make road-building materials, is an environmental win. The project is being supported by a nearly $115 million Department of Energy grant that was announced by the Biden administration in 2022. Kicis said that without the federal grant, the project would have been 'a real challenge.' While welcomed by local officials, the project also will create some challenges, such as attracting labor and having enough housing for the workers at the new project. 'All good things are a challenge,' Granville 'Beaver' Brinkman, the economic development director for Beulah, said. He said when the mine was at its peak, it had about 100 employees. Since it has been in its reclamation phase, he said there have been about 40 workers at the site. Coal production stopped at the site in 2022. Beulah Mayor Sean Cheatley said he hopes that there won't be the need for crew camps when construction starts next year as planned. He said there also will be increased traffic for the town to deal with, but said it is good for the community and its neighbors. 'It's good for Beulah. It's good for Hazen. It's good for Mercer County. It's good for the whole nation,' Cheatley said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers approve earlier deadline for North Dakota absentee ballots to align with Trump order
Ballots that had arrived by mail or were set aside on Election Day sit on a table at the Cass County Courthouse on Nov. 18, 2024, waiting to be reviewed. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) The League of Women Voters of North Dakota is asking Gov. Kelly Armstrong to veto a bill that would shorten the window for North Dakotans to submit mail-in absentee ballots. Mail-in ballots are counted in North Dakota so long as they're postmarked by the day before Election Day and are delivered within 13 days of the election. House Bill 1165 would amend this to require mail-in ballots to be received by an election officer by the time the polls close — a change the League in a Tuesday email to members called an 'overreach and overreaction.' 'Eligible North Dakota voters should be able to mail their absentee ballot without fear that their ballot will be tossed out,' Barbara Headrick, the organization's president, said in a statement to the North Dakota Monitor. She said the bill would create obstacles for groups like rural and Native voters, seniors and people with disabilities. The amendment was made to comply with a March 25 executive order issued by President Donald Trump that forbids states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. North Dakota counties report absentee ballots with missing postmarks The bill was originally intended to clean up state law governing elections procedures. The main purpose of the bill is to make ballots easier for voters to understand and make election practices more uniform across the state. It addresses things like write-in candidate deadlines, what counts as a valid residential address and who can remove election judges, for example. 'What's in this bill is what I would refer to as the 'no-brainer' stuff,' Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, the bill's primary sponsor, said at its first hearing before the House Political Subdivisions Committee in January. The Senate State and Local Government Committee during committee discussion earlier this month added the deadline change for mail-in ballots. The amendment was brought by the Secretary of State's Office, according to Deputy Secretary of State Sandra McMerty. McMerty in a Tuesday statement to the North Dakota Monitor said the change was suggested to comply with the executive order and to 'remove uncertainty and inconsistencies surrounding postmarking requirements of the USPS.' Since the amendment was introduced after the bill's public hearing in the Senate, the public did not have an opportunity to comment on the proposed changes. States neighboring North Dakota — Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska — already have similar requirements on the books, she noted. Sen. Kristin Roers, R-Fargo, chair of the Senate State and Local Government Committee, said during the hearing the Legislature had weighed adopting the policy before and that she feels it is 'best practice' for elections. The state has been reluctant to change the law in case ballot delivery is delayed by the postal service, Roers said. She said this shouldn't be an issue since the post office treats the election-related mail with extra care. McMerty said the Secretary of State's Office doesn't anticipate the change causing any problems either. 'We don't foresee significant barriers to voters as 0.1% of absentee ballots in the general election were postmarked prior to Election Day and delivered to the county after Election Day,' she told the Monitor. Military overseas ballots wouldn't have to observe the same deadline, they would just have to be mailed by the time polls close on Election Day, the bill indicates. Ballots would have to be received by the time the county canvassing board meets. Voters also would be able to personally hand in their ballots to their county auditor on Election Day before polls close. Voting by mail? Election workers are worried about issues at the Postal Service. The Senate last week voted 43-4 to pass the bill. The House on Monday approved the amended bill by a vote of 85-7. The Legislature in March approved a resolution earlier this session, House Concurrent Resolution 3006, calling on the postmaster general of the United States Postal Service to address problems with mail. 'During testimony, we heard instance after instance of non-delivered or late delivered mail that caused harm to our citizens,' said Sen. Mike Wobemma, R-Valley City, said of the measure on the Senate floor last month. After last June's primary election, at least five North Dakota counties reported receiving absentee ballots by mail with no postmarks. Trump's executive order remains in effect, though a group of 19 states earlier this month filed a federal lawsuit over the directive, arguing that it violates states rights and will make it harder for some Americans to vote. North Dakota is not a party to the lawsuit. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor signs bill on hunting deer with bait in North Dakota
Deer congregate near the Red River. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong has signed a bill that forbids state wildlife managers from restricting the use of bait for hunting deer on private property. Senate Bill 2137 prevents the North Dakota Game and Fish Department from banning deer hunting over bait. The agency has imposed baiting bans in some areas of the state as it tries to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease, which can be fatal in deer. 'We can deal with wildlife management and respect private property rights,' Armstrong, who is a hunter, said in a statement. Many hunters testified in favor of the bill sponsored by Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, though some joined the Game and Fish Department in opposing it. Other outdoors related bills signed this week include House Bill 1470 that raises the price of hunting, fishing and boating licenses, Senate Bill 2216 that creates a $5 waterfowl hunting stamp to pay for habitat improvement and Senate Bill 2245 that changes rules on hunting waterfowl from a boat. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Dakota Senate defeats bill that aimed to divest Legacy Fund from China
Sen. Jerry Klein, R-Fessenden, testifies against a bill that sought to authorize the State Investment Board to divest the Legacy Fund from Chinese investments. (Jeff Beach / North Dakota Monitor) The North Dakota Senate on Tuesday sank a bill that would have authorized the State Investment Board to divest from Legacy Fund holdings in companies headquartered in China. Under the 'prudent investor rule,' which governs trustees of investment portfolios, the board must prefer 'qualified investment firms and financial institutions with a presence in the state.' It cannot choose not to favor a company purely based on its home country. The bill, which failed by a 20-26 vote, would have updated this language to let the board voluntarily cut ties with Chinese businesses. Bill requiring Legacy Fund disclosure website sees support in North Dakota Legislature According to the North Dakota Retirement and Investment Office, that applies to only about $246 million of the $12 billion in the fund. That equates to about 2.1% Primary sponsor Rep. Bernie Satrom, R-Jamestown, has said North Dakota should do away with holdings in Chinese companies due to human rights abuses committed by the Chinese Communist Party, as well as concerns that China's government is a national security threat to the United States. Sen. Sean Cleary, R-Bismarck, said he supported the bill because it addresses these problems while still giving the State Investment Board flexibility over the fund's investments. 'Our own intelligence agency has identified that there are significant threats that come from the Chinese Communist Party,' he said on the Senate floor. North Dakota Legacy Fund takes big hit amid stock market volatility Critics of the bill said it would hamper growth of the Legacy Fund by discouraging investment in an entire country's market. Sen. Jerry Klein, R-Fessenden, said it's unusual for North Dakota to single out countries in state law. The closest comparison may be a 2023 law the North Dakota Legislature adopted prohibiting investment practices that would result in a boycott of Israel. Klein said many Chinese companies are good-faith business partners to the United States and shouldn't be penalized just because of where they're located. The Retirement and Investment Board took a neutral stance on the bill. Earlier this month, the Senate passed another Legacy Fund-related policy, House Bill 1319, which requires the Retirement and Investment Office to create a website detailing Legacy Fund holdings. Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed the bill into law last week. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Dakota lawmakers stop time-change bill
A clock stands in front of the former train depot in downtown Fargo on March 6, 2025. A bill in the state Legislature could eliminate changing clocks for Daylight Saving Time. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakotans will keep changing their clocks twice a year. The state Senate on Monday voted 32-15 to defeat House Bill 1259 that would have eliminated seasonal time changes. Just before the vote to kill the bill, it was amended to put North Dakota on year-round daylight saving time. The original bill called for year-round standard time, which passed the House 55-37. North Dakota House approves bill to exempt state from daylight saving time Supporters of using daylight saving time cited advantages for evening recreation and construction. Some construction projects are not allowed to start before 7 a.m. There also were concerns in border cities with North Dakota being on a different time than its neighbors. The bill was amended to take effect only when neighboring states also had dropped the time change. Sen. Michael Dwyer, R-Bismarck, argued against the bill, saying that if Congress or a neighboring state makes a change, to leave the decision up to future lawmakers. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
