Bio

Jason Bohrer is a public policy and public relations expert. He has been influencing energy policy as President and CEO of the Lignite Energy Council since 2013. He has a track record of securing solid bipartisan support for the initiatives and priorities of the regional trade association that promotes North Dakota’s lignite coal industry. As President and CEO, Jason strategizes with the Lignite Energy Council’s Board of Directors to develop industry priorities, and then implements and executes those strategic priorities through the Council’s four major program areas: Government Action, Public Affairs and Marketing, Research and Development and Education. He is a creative thinker with strong interpersonal skills and excellent public speaking skills. He builds relationships with diverse stakeholder groups and is able to effectively negotiate compromises in a constructive manner, minimizing conflict and never foreclosing opportunities for future collaboration. The Lignite Council serves more than 250 members, including Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Great River Energy, North American Coal, Allete/MN Power, BNI Coal, Otter Tail Power Company and hundreds of supporting companies. Jason is also Chairman of the Lignite Research Council, a state-industry partnership that has funded hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development for world-leading coal technologies. The Lignite Research Council is currently funding the world’s largest carbon capture retrofit project, innovative projects to provide domestic sources of rare earth elements, and an ongoing education seminar that provides free continuing education credits to teachers across the region. Jason is also a member of the North Dakota Empower Commission, a state board that was created to provide input and guidance to policy makers. The Empower Commission embodies an “all of the above” approach to energy policy that focuses on prosperity, practicality and common-sense objectives with a bipartisan appeal.