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Lewis & Clark Ties to the Lignite Coal Industry Less than a year before Meriwether Lewis left for the now famous Lewis & Clark expedition into the northwestern portion of the Louisiana Purchase, he received a letter of instructions from President Thomas Jefferson. One of those instructions - in the letter dated June 20, 1803 - was to bring back information on the mineral productions of every kind, and in particular "pit coal." It's interesting to note that the place where Lewis & Clark spent the first winter on their journey from 1804 to 1806, was Ft. Mandan, just west of Washburn, ND. That area is now surrounded by a major lignite coal industry. Within a 50-mile radius, there are four major lignite coal mines that produce over 30 million tons annually. Seven power plants use that lignite to generate low-cost, abundant, reliable and increasingly clean electricity, and that electricity is used by over two million homes, farms and businesses in the region. The industry also has a major economic impact, providing over 22,000 jobs and $1.7 billion in business activity.
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