John Dwyer, president of the Lignite Energy Council, has been appointed by Samuel Bodman, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, to serve a two-year term on the National Coal Council.

The National Coal Council was chartered in 1984 and is one of the Department of Energy’s most important advisory committees. Its purpose is to inform and make recommendations to the Secretary of Energy with respect to coal or the coal industry.

Bodman said he appointed Dwyer to “represent the viewpoint of companies involved in lignite mining and transportation to ensure their viewpoint is clearly articulated in the committee discussions.”

Since 1981, Dwyer has served as president of the Lignite Energy Council, a regional trade association which represents lignite producers, utilities and cooperatives that serve an eight-state region.  Dwyer also serves as chairman of the Lignite Research Council, which assists with development and administration of North Dakota’s lignite research and demonstration program. 

About 30 millions tons of lignite are produced in North Dakota annually and sold to utilities that generate affordable, reliable, and increasingly clean electricity for 2 million people in the region. The nation’s only commercial-sized synfuels plant is also located in North Dakota and uses lignite as a feedstock. The lignite industry accounts for $2.2 billion in gross business volume annually and over $80 million in state taxes.