Dairyland President & CEO Brent Ridge recently participated in a media teleconference on the need for permitting reform in the electric sector.

The teleconference was hosted by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). As our nation increasingly depends on electricity to power the economy, a substantial amount of new electricity generation and transmission infrastructure is required to meet future energy needs. Permitting reform is critical to those efforts.

Ridge was joined by NRECA CEO Jim Matheson and McKenzie Electric Cooperative (ND) CEO Matt Hanson. He specifically discussed Dairyland's Nemadji Trail Energy Center and Cardinal-Hickory Creek projects, which have been delayed by permitting and regulatory/legal challenges despite supporting renewable energy and grid reliability.

WKBT-TV8 provided coverage of the teleconference.