Burgum, Sanford help break ground on new ADM soybean crushing plant in Spiritwood

Governor Doug Burgum and Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford on Thursday joined officials from ADM and Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) at the Spiritwood Energy Park to help break ground on the Green Bison Soy Processing plant, North Dakota’s first dedicated soybean processing plant, highlighting the project as an example of how partnerships between agriculture and energy are growing both sectors in North Dakota.

The $350 million Green Bison facility, a joint venture of ADM and MPC, will process up to 150,000 bushels of soybeans per day and supply vegetable oil as a feedstock for MPC’s renewable diesel refinery in Dickinson to produce up to 75 million gallons of renewable diesel annually. The Green Bison facility is expected to be online by the 2023 harvest.

Burgum and Sanford worked with ADM and MPC, as well as other state agencies, North Dakota’s congressional delegation and local economic development leaders in Jamestown and Stutsman County, to secure ADM as a tenant in the Spiritwood Energy Park, an industrial park with over 500 acres about 10 miles east of Jamestown.

“As a Top 10 soybean-producing state, the ADM-MPC joint venture is a gamechanger that will provide lasting benefits for North Dakota soybean growers,” Burgum said. “Green Bison will add value and expand the market for one of our farmers’ most important crops, while also creating 75 direct jobs and diversifying our economy to support our communities, our citizens and the entire state. It’s also a shining example of the growing synergy between our agriculture and energy sectors in North Dakota. We appreciate ADM and MPC for this significant investment in our state and their well-placed faith in our highly productive and innovative farmers, and we’re grateful for the efforts of Lt. Gov. Sanford and so many other state, federal and local partners who helped make this happen.”

“We want to thank ADM and Marathon Petroleum for this great example of bringing agriculture and energy – and east and west – together for a North Dakota solution to ag market concerns and low emission fuel standards by turning North Dakota soybeans into renewable diesel fuel,” Sanford said. “Spiritwood is a great example of a community making a value-added ag-energy park a reality by figuring out the zoning and infrastructure challenges before the projects materialize. Congratulations to Jamestown, Stutsman County, ADM and Marathon Petroleum!”

In meeting requested by Burgum, governor urges CBP commissioner to restore pre-pandemic hours at northern border crossings

In a video conference call requested by Gov. Burgum, the governor urged U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus to restore pre-pandemic hours of operation at several ports of entry on the U.S.-Canada border where hours were reduced in April 2020.

Wednesday's meeting followed a letter Burgum sent to Magnus and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in late April, in which Burgum noted that of the 10 U.S. ports of entry into North Dakota where hours were reduced, nine of the reductions ranged from four hours to six hours. The letter came after CBP informed the state Tourism Division it had no plans to change the hours at any ports of entry in North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Idaho or Washington.

“We’re here today to start a collaboration on what can we do together to try to get back to the pre-pandemic hours. Our estimate is that we’ve probably lost close to $300 million of tourism business,” Burgum said during the call, noting cross-border transportation also is important for agriculture, health care and other sectors. “Their economies are deeply intertwined along those border communities. So, with the reduction of hours and the closures, it’s been a great hardship, and then you throw on top of that some of the pandemic restrictions. Part of our request is how do we begin a dialogue where we can return to the pre-pandemic hours and remove some of these restrictions.”

Burgum said the state also is open to exploring how technology can play a role in helping to keep border crossings open, especially in low population areas.

Magnus, who served as Fargo’s police chief from August 1999 to January 2006, indicated the CBP is open to dialogue on the crossing hours at the 310-mile border between North Dakota and Canada and has been actively assessing crossing traffic volumes.

The governor and commissioner also discussed the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, where 125 soldiers from the North Dakota National Guard’s 957th Engineer Company were deployed last October on a yearlong mission to support CBP.

Read the letter

Burgum joins Bitzero officials to announce North Dakota as site of company’s North American headquarters

Gov. Burgum along with Bitzero Strategic Investor Kevin O’Leary, Bitzero CEO Akbar Shamji, and Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation Chairman Mark Fox on Wednesday announced North Dakota as Bitzero’s headquarters and hub for all North American operations.

North Dakota emerged as the logical choice for Bitzero due to alignment on the state’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, its robust energy industry, favorable tax and regulatory environment, and access to top-tier engineering and software talent for the commercialization of new intellectual property in the data center space.

“Bitzero’s decision to locate its North American headquarters in North Dakota is yet another example of how our state is emerging as the location of choice for clean energy data centers supported by reliable, affordable electricity produced with environmental stewardship,” Burgum said during a press conference in Fargo. “This growing industry will continue to diversify our economy and elevate North Dakota’s status as the place to do business for tech entrepreneurs and innovators.”

Shamji said Bitzero is planning to build 200 megawatts of data centers in North Dakota in the next two to three years, with a specific purpose of servicing state data requirements. The data centers represent an investment of $400 million to $500 million. In addition, the company is involved in a joint venture for graphene battery technology that plans to bring an assembly and distribution hub to North Dakota, representing a $200 million to $500 million investment in the next two to three years, he said. The headquarters, which has yet to be sited, will employ 15 to 20 people to drive operations in the state, he said.

To date, Bitzero has raised close to $100 million in investment capital and plans to have an initial public offering on the Canadian stock exchange within the next 60 days and subsequently be listed on the Nasdaq once regulatory approval is passed, company officials said.

“Solidifying a North American headquarters prior to the IPO was a crucial strategic piece for Bitzero, and we plan to begin consolidating operations to North Dakota as we scale,” said O’Leary. “This announcement comes in advance of a Montana project announcement scheduled for tomorrow.”

In addition, Bitzero will partner with MHA Nation for the purchase of power from Bitzero’s proposed data center for the MHA Nation’s greenhouse project.

“Bitzero is working with us to use our Western Area Power Administration hydroelectric power to reflect the company’s zero carbon mandate,” Fox said. “The additional heat produced from the data center facility will be used for our MHA Nation’s Greenhouse Project currently under construction.”

Bitzero is in multiple discussions for other projects that are expected to come to fruition over the next few months, which will include wind and solar projects.

In call with Burgum, Sanford CEO indicates flexibility on options for future of Mott nursing home

At the urging of Gov. Doug Burgum, Sanford Health President and CEO Bill Gassen indicated a willingness to gift the Good Samaritan Society building in Mott to the city instead of selling the skilled nursing facility, and to remove a deed restriction that would have prohibited the facility from being used for health care purposes.

During a more than 30-minute phone call Tuesday as a follow-up to discussions the previous week, Gassen offered to gift the facility versus selling it as Sanford had proposed when announcing it would be closing the facility July 22 due to difficulty hiring qualified staff, increased operating costs and a lack of long-term sustainability.

North Dakota Department of Human Services Executive Director Chris Jones, who also participated in the call, urged a greater focus on how to serve seniors where they are, through home and community-based services, transportation and nutrition programs.

“The Good Samaritan Society is an important employer and health care provider for Mott and the surrounding region, and we appreciate Sanford’s willingness to work with the community on options for the facility and long-term care in the Mott area,” Burgum said.

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