Brian Kalk, North Dakota public service commisioner, letter: Energy ‘emperors’ have no clothes
Published February 03 2010
Grand Forks Herald
ST. PAUL — Jim Kambeitz’s attack on Gov. John Hoeven and the energy industry in North Dakota last week deserves a response (“North Dakota stands to miss out on energy jobs,” Page D3, Jan. 31). Kambeitz extolled Denmark and the Czech Republic as “green” economies that we should emulate. The facts tell a different story.
Denmark, a nation of only 5 million residents and less than one-fourth the size of North Dakota, is a huge oil and natural gas producer. This year, Denmark expects to produce more than 100 million barrels of oil. Its economy depends on oil and gas for more than 73 percent of its total energy needs.
Denmark uses coal-fired plants as the backup when wind and other alternative sources fail. The country exports more than 100,000 barrels of oil a day to other nations, which means Denmark is adding to the carbon footprint of other European nations.
So, when the Danish ambassador patronizingly scolds us for our energy policy, we should take his words with a huge block of salt.
The choice of the Czech Republic as a model for green energy is curious. The Czech Republic, the size of Louisiana, is the 15th-largest consumer of coal in the world. Almost 100 percent of its energy produced is from coal-fired and nuclear plants.
Spotlighting a tiny solar operation in a nation totally dependent upon fossil fuels is not credible. And, it is noteworthy that the president of the Czech Republic was and is one of the loudest critics of the entire Copenhagen Climate Conference agenda.
Kambeitz’s broadside against Hoeven and North Dakota’s energy sector is off base. The governor, along with the Public Service Commission and the Legislature, has led our state toward a balanced energy portfolio.
North Dakota is No. 1 in lignite coal production, No. 4 in oil production and now, No. 10 in wind production. Add to that the outstanding research being done at our fine colleges and universities, and you have a balanced approach to energy development.
North Dakota is a leader in all types of energy research and development. As Joe Friday would say, “Those are the facts.”
Brian Kalk
Kalk is a member of the North Dakota Public Service Commission.