My name is Kim Johnson. I am a lifelong North Dakotan, and I have concerns about the proposed Bison Generation Station—a $4 billion natural gas plant. I don’t expect anything in life to be free, but I do expect a fair price for a fair product. This plant is a product—but who’s paying for it?
Basin Electric Co-op members are expected to see increased utility bills to help cover the cost. If I’m going to pay more, I want to know what I get in return. Will my friends and neighbors benefit in any meaningful way? It’s doubtful. Increased greenhouse gas emissions, a lack of corporate accountability, and the knowledge that big data centers and cryptocurrency operations are the real beneficiaries make this a bad deal for everyday people.
My neighbors already line dry their laundry and can vegetables from their gardens. How many more sacrifices will they have to make to keep up with rising utility bills? Most of us don’t have bitcoin wallets. We invest in something real—our land. It gives back in tangible ways, unlike NFTs or other speculative digital assets. If corporations are reaping the rewards of this natural gas plant, they should be the ones footing the bill.
When you were a kid, did your parents yell at you for leaving the lights on? Crypto miners leave their PCs running 24/7 to generate profits. Did your grandparents remind you that everyone on the farm pitches in because our livelihoods are connected? Meanwhile, corporations overwork and underpay staff, then lay them off and replace them with AI. The people profiting from this plant didn’t grow up like we did. They don’t share our values—and they won’t prioritize our communities.
We’ve already seen how this goes. North Dakotans got a glimpse of financial gain during the oil boom, but we also witnessed unchecked corporate greed and environmental damage. Why would this be any different? I don’t trust that a single corporate executive will skip buying a third yacht or private jet to help clean up a community hundreds of miles away.
Since childhood, we’ve been taught the values of fairness and responsibility—values embodied in Theodore Roosevelt’s words: “The principles for which we stand are the principles of fair play and a square deal for every man and every woman.” How can we plaster his face on murals and monuments yet ignore his message?
I fail to see how raising rates on North Dakotans to fund a plant that benefits out-of-state tech giants is a “square deal.” If this project truly served our communities, we might have a different conversation. But as it stands, the people of North Dakota are being asked to carry the burden for someone else’s gain.
We deserve better. We deserve transparency, accountability, and a real say in what we’re being asked to support—and pay for.
Kim Johnson, Fargo, is formerly from Turtle Mountain area of North Dakota.
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