[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6325116,"mediaKeyId","2334620-186c39462485d29cc98243be9f5a03cd","parentId",2334620,"title","Committee advances bill to count Missouri‑River hydropower as renewable for municipal utilities","audioSeconds",780,"startMs",6024000,"endMs",6804000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2334620-186c39462485d29cc98243be9f5a03cd&start=6024&end=6804","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2334620-186c39462485d29cc98243be9f5a03cd/thumbnail_6024000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6325116/North-Dakota/Committee-advances-bill-to-count-MissouriRiver-hydropower-as-renewable-for-municipal-utilities","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6325116-4690857f064ab27971a1b84d0d0291f0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176110&Signature=fClxzS7XlcatIrConns6y60pWHrCyqu8BEP9HcIn6ygLAKj4d7XIie~iWx6Nan70RaIewP7mzazPvPZZ-2U9V2YttGX7Kdm5Jj18XO6uiw6WGOnGWroAvnUUkfnPDqPaYe5CDu7wwmeGS1YHcRrsOaCPbv8iM~GvzPZqygDtnDjhwoMBD2g5UksBYNpNLt81oYQstFz7M6YnO3PAiTie9QAKVRADCHnxXo~FnMnLUuIv-UvrikLuFdKDvrv9qVDeKUnC7nnjjvk0SX2SIFHELyHuDN~yJ3uTLKzu3c6Ae5BPgC378p6KLT--IWIWblGW4cidRLR0JYarqr7Idzwk3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota State Legislature","date","2025-02-18T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Dave Munson introduced House Bill 1211 on behalf of municipal electric utilities and Missouri River Energy Services (MRES). The bill would change North Dakota’s definition of renewable energy so that hydroelectric power produced in the state counts as renewable regardless of the plant’s in‑service date; testimony said the change would align North Dakota with neighboring states and allow hydro power from the Western Area Power Administration to carry renewable energy certificates (RECs).

Deborah Bergen of Missouri River Energy Services said MRES serves 61 municipal electric communities across four states and six MRES members are in North Dakota (Cavalier, Lakota, Northwood, Hillsboro, Riverdale and Valley City). Bergen said WAPA has moved to register hydropower so that the power can come with RECs; if state law counts that hydro as renewable, municipalities can retire or transfer RECs to meet local obligations or to support large customers such as data centers. Bergen said allowing older hydropower to be counted would make REC treatment consistent among North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa and facilitate intra‑agency REC transfers.

Randy Christman of the Public Service Commission said he had no objection and confirmed the bill is compatible with Senate Bill 2359 (which separately modifies renewable objective language). Bergen said the ultimate rate impact for retail customers would depend on when RECs are monetized or transferred and on future REC market prices; she noted REC prices were trading at roughly $1 per certificate at the time of testimony but that the market could change.

The committee approved a due‑pass recommendation on House Bill 1211. Senator Wallen moved the due‑pass motion, Senator Powers seconded, and the committee’s recorded roll call registered affirmative votes from members present. Senator Powers volunteered to carry the bill.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Finance and Taxation Tuesday, Feb 18, 2025 8:50 AM - 10:45 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Missouri River Energy Services and municipal clients told the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee that House Bill 1211 would allow all North Dakota hydroelectric power to count as renewable, enabling associated renewable energy certificates to be used or traded by municipal utilities.","taxTitle","Finance and Taxation, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28904,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6325122,"Committee advances bill letting fire departments use dyed diesel to lower fuel tax burden",1735,4073000,5808000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2334620-186c39462485d29cc98243be9f5a03cd&start=4073&end=5808","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2334620-186c39462485d29cc98243be9f5a03cd/thumbnail_4073000.jpg","/articles/6325122/North-Dakota/Committee-advances-bill-letting-fire-departments-use-dyed-diesel-to-lower-fuel-tax-burden","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6325122-b4e645cf9182064976cc0dd2dc51777a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176110&Signature=f6oPXDE6Agpn7e1mssDHm1-wrbtc7msvCIz6Tw4BB~RZcwkExgC6CMxeIhzo7f9-AzBFEeWDOE~A2XID12aLjVC74x4jfdauf2-pKSXmmkkSQld3na9qL2yXoTH4Wb5neV6983MU5TaJRieHd8NgrLO3cNeBTltF5b1euDD8faslzKodi5eVZlS7vtYmHnuKpZsWDQnkUMr9dsmWMSLQAos9k9igsJrxxzvUcburoljZzrUPK16DsCshoJDgmzhcIYya6hJQjR9HDmqEBnJkMBchmCL8TP6VB0TAfncchlFn~oATStJSKQv2D3if0ngnlZZX0fj~RXSHGau6Wpf-Bg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Brandy Pyle urged the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee to give favorable consideration to House Bill 1281, which would allow fire department vehicles to use red‑dyed diesel in the same way ambulances do under current law. Pyle said parity with ambulance fuel rules would reduce operating expenses for the state’s 356 organized fire departments and free local property tax dollars for equipment and turnout gear.

Fire Chief John Hale of Castleton, testifying in support, described his volunteer department’s coverage (385 square miles and roughly 4,500 residents) and said the department averages about 850 gallons of diesel annually. ‘‘Emergency response, whether it be a medical or fire, should not be taxed on the fuel used to carry responders and their equipment to an emergency to help people,’’ Hale told the committee. He said the change would not pay salaries but would help keep trucks, tools and personal protective equipment current.

Department of Tax personnel confirmed the current tax structure: testimony described a 23¢ per‑gallon tax on motor fuels and special fuels and said dyed special fuel is effectively taxed at a lower rate (testimony described dyed fuel treatment as 4¢ in the hearing). Shannon Fleischer of the tax department said ambulances already have a mechanism to apply for a refund of tax paid on special fuels; proponents said the bill would allow the same treatment for eligible fire vehicles and some nonprofit fire organizations that operate ambulance or EMS services.

Senators asked whether other emergency services should be included; sponsors and the fire chief said the requested change is intended to align fire vehicles with ambulances. Supporters noted some departments already combine ambulance and fire operations and that allowing dyed diesel would be an efficiency and a modest but recurring source of funding for equipment.

The committee voted to give House Bill 1281 a due‑pass recommendation. Senator Patton moved the due‑pass motion and Senator Wallin seconded; the roll call in committee recorded Chair Weber, Vice Chair Romo, Senators Patton, Powers and Wallen voting in the affirmative. Senator Patton volunteered to carry the bill.","The Senate Finance and Taxation Committee gave House Bill 1281 a due‑pass recommendation to let fire departments use red‑dyed diesel (treated like ambulances) to reduce fuel expenses. Committee approval was unanimous on the recorded roll call; sponsor said savings would help departments replace gear and vehicles.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6325126,"Senate committee hears debate on lowering phone provider retention of 9‑1‑1 surcharge",2561,648000,3209000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2334620-186c39462485d29cc98243be9f5a03cd&start=648&end=3209","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2334620-186c39462485d29cc98243be9f5a03cd/thumbnail_648000.jpg","/articles/6325126/North-Dakota/Senate-committee-hears-debate-on-lowering-phone-provider-retention-of-911-surcharge","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6325126-3c9660cb65c062d934d06007b1d3d932/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176110&Signature=hlPcla2YCYi3CzJgheKmFawV5a3-~yw7duAmhXWMEZHh-OXeIhVw0p0NxvaeA5ZIyIKvevQ7kgg3prrRvbAgA2kr0Jbro5uZQq6ZlLzOc3iN1X00ykkdeMo3E5h9wcXjkX5eDYqJU9tHR2kP9EpyXHZJlrSMmfR4IhVulfh9n2FmN37gz1TYjpH6FBMeXl7mb05e8pPq9lUV8b3Ol3M5OyNr2JQv0tuJirc3DWKXNWUyEw78Q6zRiFALVd-0EV0AiW6Q~boxf4sTu6OS3tGij3yNdocW9X02oXpW2F3az0qGi4aKmRs-Crw6xyGyedYlQxYcBB7gnVPHEs8qBtWGrw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Todd Porter introduced House Bill 1096 to the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee, saying the bill would change how much of the local 9‑1‑1 surcharge phone companies may retain for administration. Porter described the evolution of the 9‑1‑1 surcharge from an early landline-era charge to a modern program largely funded by mobile-device surcharges and said the fiscal structure has not kept pace with technology.

The bill as introduced in the House would have limited originating service providers’ (OSPs’) administrative retention to 1 percent of the fee collected. At committee testimony in the Senate, stakeholders described a negotiated compromise of 2.5 percent that was acceptable to many carriers. Danelle Preski of the North Dakota Association of Counties (speaking for the North Dakota 9‑1‑1 Association) said, “We stand in support of this bill, and today we're at we're asking for you to consider changing it back to its original form, as it was introduced.” Jason Horning of NDACO, who manages the association’s new centralized fee collection program, told senators, “the total amount, based on what the counties are assessing, is approximately $18,000,000 in total 9 0 1 fee revenue.”

Supporters including NDACO argued the reduction would return a larger share of surcharge dollars to 9‑1‑1 centers and county radio programs. Horning described the fee flow: a portion of the per‑line surcharge funds the statewide interoperable radio network (roughly 50¢ of the surcharge), 10¢ funds a next‑generation 9‑1‑1 program, and the remainder is remitted to counties for local 9‑1‑1 operations and State Radio payments. Horning estimated that at the then‑current 5 percent retention rate OSPs retain roughly $850,000 to $900,000 annually for administration.

Representatives of small, rural carriers and broadband providers said a straight reduction to 1 percent would sharply reduce the modest administrative support they presently receive. Carissa Swenson of the Broadband Association of North Dakota said her members currently receive “about 100,000 per year total” to cover data and administrative work and said her group negotiated a middle ground of 2.5 percent. Midco likewise said it supported the 2.5 percent compromise while noting additional work is required to supply accurate line counts.

Senators questioned how collections are allocated across counties and how cell‑phone billing affects allocation. Horning described the remittance process: OSPs report line counts by county and remit funds to the Association of Counties, which distributes funds back to counties based on county rates and line counts. He said wireless carriers determine a customer’s “primary place of use” under mobile sourcing rules; that primary place of use is used to allocate the surcharge for wireless lines. Horning and others also described statutory oversight: the Emergency Services Communications Coordinating Committee (ESC3) is required to publish biennial reports on fees and allowable uses and to account for county expenditures.

No formal committee vote was taken; the Senate committee closed the hearing and left the bill “laying” for further consideration.

Ending: The committee heard diverse stakeholder views—counties and 9‑1‑1 centers pressed for more money to sustain next‑generation dispatch services, while carriers sought to preserve modest administrative reimbursements. Senators said they needed time to review the fiscal details and the new central collection data before acting.","Senators heard testimony on House Bill 1096, a proposal to reduce the percentage of 9‑1‑1 surcharges retained by originating service providers. Supporters said the change would return more revenue to local 9‑1‑1 systems; telecom carriers urged a compromise to cover administrative costs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances bill to count Missouri‑River hydropower as renewable for municipal utilities

Committee advances bill letting fire departments use dyed diesel to lower fuel tax burden

Senate committee hears debate on lowering phone provider retention of 9‑1‑1 surcharge