BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — North Dakota runs on coal, but not many people understand all that goes into energy generation. In Monday’s Eye on Ag and Energy — helping the next generation grasp our energy industry.

KX News spent some time over at Bismarck State College for the kickoff of the Lignite Education Seminar where Lignite is passing knowledge on to the teachers of North Dakota.

The four-day seminar is aimed at keeping educators informed on energy here in North Dakota — as we; as teaching them how to incorporate the most recent updates into their lesson plans during the school year.

According to Retha Mattern, the director of education and membership for the Lignite Energy Council, a lot goes into our energy production, and deciphering misinformation from fact is extremely important.

“We really want to make sure that we are teaching people facts and accurate information about Lignite, what it is in our state and in our region so that they can then take those facts and information back to their students,” said Mattern. “It’s really a ‘teaching the teachers’ moment so that the next group of students coming up has a better understanding of the realities of energy generation, and rather than having all maybe negative or misinformation or just bad news about it, that they can really see the positive sides of this industry and the important role that it plays in our state.”

The conference will run through Thursday, June 15. If you’d like to learn more about Lignite, and all the energy capabilities in our state, visit this page.