Omdahl criticizes North Dakota legislators for bailing out the coal industry. Written By: Lloyd Omdahl | × At the outset, let us agree that most people would like to see the 400 billion tons of coal under western North Dakota put to economic use. After all, we dreamed that dream for decades. But the reality is that using lignite for coal-burning generators is no longer feasible, economically or environmentally. Nevertheless, the Legislature made a major effort to float the industry through the next five years, hoping that coal can be made more economically and more environmentally feasible. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal consumption in the United States has declined from 98MMst in 2000 down to 48MMst in 2019. In 2020, the market required less coal than any year since 1905. And the market will continue to decline until the last power plant is shuttered.