The fledgling energy corridor at Bismarck State College announced a leader on Wednesday.

Kim Christianson, a retired North Dakota Department of Commerce employee, is the director of the Great Plains Energy Corridor.

"You make sure you have the right person to run with your vision," BSCPresident Larry Skogen said.

Christianson has experience working with the energy industry through his position at the State Commerce Department and the U.S. Department of Energy in Denver. He is familiar with a variety of energy forms, including renewable energy.

He took early retirement from the office of renewable energy and energy efficiency with Commerce. Then this position came up.

"It looked like an interesting opportunity," Christianson said.

The concept of the corridor is new to western and central North Dakota. It gives a central location for the energy industry to find information on education and outreach opportunities.

Some of the activities provided by the energy corridor will be the Great Plains Energy Expo and the Renewable Energy Action Summit.

Corridors are done in other parts of the country, and similar initiatives are done for other economic sectors. In the eastern part of the state is the Red River Valley Research Corridor, which fosters research at the universities there.

The Great Plains Energy Corridor is at the National Energy Center of Excellence building at BSC.

The corridor is a federally funded project with earmarks sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. In the last budget cycle, $250,000 was allocated to the project and $300,000 will be allocated in the next budget cycle, Dorgan said.

Funding for the program is approved year to year and must be earmarked. Dorgan is confident it will be available.

"I will fund it through the appropriation subcommittee," he said. He is chairman of that committee.

If the funding is not approved, then Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., mimed the outcome, when he waved goodbye, which received some laughs.

This energy corridor is separate from the federal energy corridor that looked for federal land in 11 western states for pipeline projects and energy transmission lines.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)