Coal-fired Minnkota CEO finds solace in the "Heartland"

onSep 4, 2007 @ 09:31 PDT

In a recent column titled “Global Warming Uncertain,” David Loer, CEO of Minnkota Power Cooperative writes:

…others would like us to believe that carbon dioxide from burning coal is a major contributor to catastrophic global warming and apparently are offended when we question that premise.”

By “others,” I’m assuming Loer means prestigious scientific organizations like the US government’s National Academy of Science, the United Kingdom’s Royal Society, NASA and NOAA.

Ignoring these “others,” Loer backs up this claim using a “study” put out by an oil-industry backed think tank called the Heartland Institute. In fact, this is the very same study that we recently unravelled here on DeSmogBlog.

Sadly, Heartland’s “study” appears to be all the evidence Mr. Loer needs to counter the many years of scientific research supplying the rigorous evidence that the burning of coal and other fossil fuels is a major factor in the climate change we are now seeing.

But I would also guess it doesn’t take much convincing otherwise when your company’s main source of revenue is a 235 mega-watt coal fired electrical generation plant.

By Kevin Grandia

Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a “Green Hero” by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Tweeters” on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin’s research into the “climate denial industry” and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch’s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a “Certified Expert” on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

us/US Oil Executives Flock to COP30

ByPhoebe Cooke

onNov 14, 2025 @ 07:04 PST

Their access to the summit is proof that Big Oil still holds "a dangerous sway" over the climate process, campaigners say.

Series: 2025 COP30 Climate Summit

Series: COP30 Coverage

‘Inviting the Fox Into the Henhouse’: Canada Delegation to COP30 Loaded with Fossil Fuel Representatives

ByTaylor Noakes

onNov 13, 2025 @ 21:01 PST

Delegation’s composition consistent with new KBPO report revealing this year’s U.N. climate talks have the largest number of fossil fuel lobbyists to date.