About Us

What is the Utility Shareholders of North Dakota (USND)?

USND is an organization of stakeholders with the common interest of investing in or doign business with one or more of North Dakota's investor owned energy utilities -- MDU Resources Group, Xcel Energy, formerly Northern States Power; Otter Tail Corporation, or ALLETE. While Otter Tail provides electric utility services, MDU and Xcel provide both electricity and natural gas in their trade areas.  ALLETE's utility, MN Power, serves no customers in North Dakota, but other ALLETE businesses are active in North Dakota, including BNI Coal and ALLETE Clean Energy.  

Membership is open to businesses connected to any of the four companies, those with similar interests as the four companies, and any person who owns one or more shares of stock in any one of the four companies. USND is organized to provide a unified voice for these stakeholders in public policy matters that could have an impact on the value of utility shares.

Our mission is "To establish and maintain a positive, credible and independent voice regarding matters affecting businesses and investors in utility companies operating in North Dakota".

Why is this organization necessary?

North Dakota’s investor-owned utilities created USND as an independent entity unifying the voices of utility stakeholders, and it has served that role for over twenty years. The utility industry has seen dramatic change over the last decade and will continue to see dramatic change going forward. As the industry evolves, it is crucial the voices of stakeholders like you are considered. USND can harness the power of our collective voices as it continues to advocate for and safeguard our industry. 

There are more questions than answers about the utility issue future. One thing is for certain, however, and that certainty is the utility industry of tomorrow will be very different than the utility industry of today.

If you are not now a member, and if you are a shareholder in one of North Dakota's four investor-owned utilities, you can contact us for membership information or submit the form below.   

Membership Form