The City of Manadan put some local business owners through a “five month bureaucratic nightmare just so they could play art critic.” That’s what August “Augie” Kersten, a co-owner of the Lonesome Dove bar in Mandan, said on this episode of Plain Talk. After he paid an employee, who is also an artist, to paint…
Print Column: Xcel’s Coal-Free Plan Is Politics Not Reality
MINOT, N.D. — “Xcel Energy plans to shutter its two remaining coal plants in the Upper Midwest a decade earlier than scheduled — a move that will make the utility coal-free in the region by 2030,” Mary Divine reported for the St. Paul Pioneer Press this week. That’s big news. All the more so because it’s…
Plain Talk: Lawmaker Wants a Pay Day for Suing the State
On this episode of Plain Talk, state Rep. Marvin Nelson (D-Rolla) wants the courts to award him a six figure payout after he and four other plaintiffs sued the state to deny retroactive payments to royalty owners. His lawyers also want $62 million in fees. Meanwhile the royalty owners, who were denied payments for mineral…
Guest Post: Oil Tax Agreement Between State and Tribe Benefits All North Dakotans
This guest post was submitted by Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger, a Republican. North Dakota continues to produce oil at record levels and it is important we recognize the changes being made to help keep this industry vibrant. In the next two-year budget cycle, the Office of State Tax Commissioner will collect $5 billion in tax…
Podcast: On the Jay Thomas Show Talking Social Media, the Search for a New President at UND, and Student Loan Debt
Here’s audio from my segment on the Jay Thomas show today. We talked about the problems with social media, the search for a new president at the University of North Dakota, and student loan debt. New episodes of Plain Talk come out weekday mornings. Want the podcast delivered to your devices daily? Use the links…
Print Column: In the Fight Over Oil, It’s Progressives Against Progress
MINOT, N.D. — The fight over the Davis Refinery, a crude oil project backed by Meridian Energy Group, has been an intriguing one to follow. In many ways it is a familiar story, pitting the energy industry and its desire for modern infrastructure against a political faction which would rather keep oil in the ground.…
Plain Talk: Can You Be an Elected Official and a Reporter at the Same Time?
On this episode of Plain Talk, state Rep. Matt Eidson (D-Grand Forks) talks about how he plans to manage being an elected official as well as a reporter. Eidson has taken internships with Prairie Public and the Grand Forks Herald (owned by Forum Communications Company which also employs me), and says he’ll work hard to…
Guest Post: Legislative Session Gave Insurance Department Resources, Authority to Make Things Better for North Dakotans
This guest post was submitted by North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread, a Republican first elected in 2016. It isn’t always easy to be transformative in state government due to the confines of certain laws, policies or financial structures. Change certainly happens, but often slowly. Yet, I am happy to report that with the close…
Plain Talk: Auditor Says He Would Have Preferred Legislature Coming Back Into Session to Restore His Office’s Powers
Recently state Auditor Josh Gallion met with legislative leaders to discuss last-minute legislation jammed through at the recent session in Bismarck to diminish his office’s ability to perform performance audits. While that meeting seems to have produced a consensus that the legislation should have been subjected to a more thorough debate, Senate Majority Leader Rich…
Print Column: North Dakota Republicans Cannot Keep Relying on the Incompetence of Democrats
MINOT, N.D. — The North Dakota Republican Party has built a dominant political machine. They hold every single statewide office, and majorities in the Legislature so large that when Republicans act in concert Democrats are inconsequential to the policymaking process. This didn’t happen by accident. Party leaders like Ed Schafer, John Hoeven, and Kevin Cramer…