Lignite Energy Council

The Lignite Energy Council (LEC) is a pro-coal lobbying group. On its website the group describes its role as being "to maintain a viable lignite coal industry and enhance development of the region's lignite coal resources for use in generating electricity, synthetic natural gas and valuable byproducts."

Membership
The council does not list its members but states on its website that they "include mining companies, major users that use lignite to generate electricity, synthetic natural gas and other valuable byproducts, and businesses that provide goods and services to the lignite industry."

However, on its website it lists lignite mines, power stations that use it and a synfuels plant as being :


 * Antelope Valley Station
 * Coyote Station
 * Stanton Station
 * Leland Olds
 * Milton R. Young Station
 * Coal Creek Station
 * Heskett Station
 * Lewis & Clark Station
 * Great Plains Synfuels Plant
 * Freedom Mine
 * Beulah Mine
 * Center Mine
 * Falkirk Mine
 * Savage Mine

Role in Partners for Affordable Energy
The LEC and its staff play a significant role in another pro-coal lobby group, the Partners for Affordable Energy. Steve Van Dyke is both the Communications Director at Lignite Energy Council and the Director of Communications for Partners for Affordable Energy Further, the domain name for the Partners for Affordable Energy website lists the mail address for the group as being "1016 E. Owens Avenue Bismarck, ND 58502 US" -- the same address as for the LEC. , a coal industry lobby group.

Personnel
On its website LEC lists on its website the biographical profiles of the staff at the Bismarck office who work with "the Lignite Energy Council, Lignite Vision 21 Program and Partners for Affordable Energy". As of February 2009, the staff listed were

Lignite Energy Council Staff

 * John Dwyer - President
 * Sandi Tabor - General Counsel
 * Marie Hoerner - Executive Assistant to the President
 * Jeff Burgess - Director of Research & Development
 * Renee Walz - Director of Member Services & Education
 * Kay LaCoe - Communications Specialist
 * Dave Allard - Director of Administration & IT
 * Vicki Gilmore - Staff Assistant

Lignite Vision 21 Program

 * Jeff Burgess - Director of Research & Development

Partners for Affordable Energy

 * Christina Pierson - MN Executive Director
 * Steve Van Dyke - Director of Communications

Contact Details
1016 E. Owens Avenue, PO Box 2277, Bismarck, ND 58502 Phone: (701) 258-7117 or 1-800-932-7117 Fax: (701) 258-2755 Website: http://www.lignite-energy-council.org/

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