Media Alert:
I will be discussing this topic with…
…Joel Heitkamp on 790AM KFGO in Fargo today (December 20th) at 10am - call in number is (701) 237-5948
…Steve Bakken on 1270AM “Super Talk” in Bismarck tomorrow morning (December 21st) between 9am and 11am (exact time to be determined) - call-in number is 701-663-1270.
…Daryl Lies on 550AM KFYR in Bismarck tomorrow afternoon (December 21st) at 3pm - call-in number is (701) 258-0550.
In Episode 2 of the “End of the Day - First Thing In The Morning” Podcast, Jason Spiess and I discuss last night’s KXNews story that I first wrote to you about last week.
Previously, I have told you about Governor Doug Burgum’s efforts to create his own version of the “Green New Deal” in North Dakota. And I told you about the coming fight over whether this fund would really be for subsidizing the development of clean energy in North Dakota, or whether it would be hijacked by the special interests seeking to use the money to bailout and prop-up traditional energy.
Last week, I also spoke with Jason Spiess on our new podcast about this plan, that started in 2021.
Yesterday, KXNews in Bismarck ran a segment by Josh Meny including an interview I gave outlining the divisions in the Republican Party that will be at odds over this fund.
“If we go by the intent of the Governor’s plan, this money will essentially go to green energy and new energy sources. And, that’s going to be a fight that will bring in multiple factions of the Republican party, that don’t want to see the state going down the road of propping up green energy because they view that has diminishing existing energy, the coal, and oil,” explained North Dakota Watchdog Network founder Dustin Gawrylow.
“And then you’ve got the other faction that wants to support the coal and oil with that money instead, and those tend to be more of the moderate middle-of-the-road Republicans. Either way, there is going to be a fight over what this fund is about, how much it should be, and who should be in charge,” said Gawrylow.
The 3rd faction that is not mentioned in the KXNews segment is the fiscal conservative faction which will generally oppose the spending for either purpose, as subsidies distort the real demands of the economy and create a long-term reliance on government funding rather than market forces.
The question that lingers is: if the fund does not do what the Governor wants, or he can’t control it, will he realize he’s better off not spending the $500 million? (While it is a “revolving loan fund” there is no guarantee the state would see any of it back, as the whole thing is predicated on supporting technologies the market is not yet demanding.)
Stay Tuned!
Episode 2: To Green or Not To Green