Al Anderson was named by the North Dakota Industrial Commission to serve as the director of the North Dakota Clean Sustainable Energy Authority (Authority) effective today Sept. 27, 2021.
Anderson is a Mandan, N.D., native, and previously served as North Dakota commerce commissioner from 2011 to 2016. He graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering. He held positions in the energy sector for over 30 years with his final position being vice president of operations, strategy, and development for the Tesoro Corporation. During his career Al served as president/refinery manager for the Northern Great Plains Region and Mandan refinery manager for Tesoro Refining and Marketing Co. He has extensive experience coordinating multi-million-dollar projects. He also served in the United States Marine Corps from 1973-1977.
As director of the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority, Anderson will work with the members of the Authority and the Industrial Commission to support research, development, and technological advancements that reduce environmental impacts and increase sustainability of energy production and delivery. This will be done through partnerships and financial support for the large-scale development and commercialization of projects, processes, activities, and technologies that meet those goals. The Authority was established during the recent 2021 legislative session with the following statutory purpose:
To enhance the production of clean sustainable energy, to make North Dakota a world leader in the production of clean sustainable energy, and to diversify and grow North Dakota’s economy.
To fulfill this purpose the Legislature appropriated $25 million from the General Fund and authorized the Authority to borrow up to $250 million from the Bank of North Dakota to develop a loan program.
The North Dakota Industrial Commission consists of Gov. Doug Burgum as chairman, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. The Industrial Commission oversees the Authority and must approve all funding awards after receiving recommendations from the 16-member Authority.
In a joint statement, the Industrial Commission members said, “Al Anderson’s long career in the energy field and his prior public service as commerce commissioner, chair of the Renewable Energy Council and chair of the EmPower Commission provides him with the necessary background to step into this new role.”