National articles

North Dakota governor candidate Doug Burgum addresses supporters after winning the Republican vote in the primary election Tuesday, June 14, 2016, at Ecce Gallery in downtown Fargo. Dave Wallis / The Forum

Audio: Governor Doug Burgum Says We’re “Moving Towards an Era of Zero Tolerance” for Oil Spills

- June 2, 2017 - ,

Audio: Governor Doug Burgum Says We’re “Moving Towards an Era of Zero Tolerance” for Oil Spills

- June 2, 2017 - ,

Recently North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum held a closed door meeting with representatives of the oil and gas industry to talk about pipeline safety. Because the meeting was closed to the public Burgum came under fire from the Bismarck Tribune. “When Gov. Doug Burgum took office we knew he would take a different approach to government,” the…

Standing Rock Chairman David Archambault scuffles with law enforcement officers during a #NoDAPL protest in August 2016. Photo via Twitter

Standing Rock Chairman David Archambault Found Not Guilty of Disorderly Conduct, Here’s Video of What He Did

- May 31, 2017 - ,

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman David Archambault, along with tribal council member Dana Yellow Fat, were on trial in Bismarck today over disorderly conduct charges related to the #NoDAPL protests. Both men were found not guilty today per Bismarck Tribune reporter Caroline Grueskin: BREAKING: Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault and Councilman Dana Yellow Fat found not guilty of…

An oil well pump in a sunflower field on July 26, 2015, west of Dickinson just off Interstate 94 as a storm brews off to the east. 2015 Forum News Service photo

UND Economist on North Dakota Economy: “If We’re Not at Rock Bottom We’re Close”

- May 31, 2017 - ,

Economic activity in North Dakota has been in decline for a couple of years now, dragging tax revenues for state and local governments down with it. As a result lawmakers had to shrink state budgets during a bruising session earlier this year (let’s hope local governments do the same instead of hiking property taxes). Populations…

Adam Williams, communications specialist for Meridian Energy Group, scans the horizon in his company's demonstration to show its refinery process stack would not be visible from the highest point in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Park ranger Ian Connors is in the background. Photo by Lauren Donovan/ Bismarck Tribune

Opponents of Meridian’s Davis Refinery Are Misleading the Public

- May 30, 2017 - ,

An opposition group has formed aimed at blocking the construction of the Davis Refinery in western North Dakota. The refinery would be near the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, though “near” is an imprecise term. To hear the activists against the refinery tell it, including a former head of the park, the refinery would be almost…

Cases of milk wait to be loaded onto a truck at Hugo's in Grand Forks on Wednesday. (Photo by John Hageman)

Thank the Government for Protecting You From Low Milk Prices

- May 26, 2017 - ,

A reader recently sent me a picture of this sign posted on the glass door of a refrigerated display at a convenience store in Bismarck. It warns customers that a coupon for milk won’t be honored because it lowered the price below what state regulations allow. That’s right. The state government is literally protecting you…

A still image taken from video shows Montana Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte speaking to voters while campaigning for a special election in Missoula, Montana, U.S. May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Justin Mitchell

Montana Republican Body Slamming a Journalist Is Perhaps Why Early Voting Is Stupid

- May 25, 2017 - ,

How many people in Montana would like to change their votes right about now? It’s a question worth asking. Last night, just hours before polls opened for a special election day in the race to replace former Congressman Ryan Zinke (now Trump’s Secretary of the Interior), Republican candidate Greg Gianforte body slammed a reporter from the…

Bismarck Mayor Mike Seminary David Samson / The Forum

Lawyer Says Requested Review of Bismarck Police Officer Petition Signatures Was Concerning, BCI Refused to Do Interviews

- May 24, 2017 - ,

Earlier this week, in writing about the effort to recall Bismarck Mayor Mike Seminary, I flagged an email City Administrator Keith Hunke sent to a BCI investigator working on verifying the signatures which requested that he specifically interview the eleven Bismarck Police Department Officers who had signed the petition. Hunke has told me he’s not…

A drilling rig is pictured near Lake Sakakawea near New Town, N.D., on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016. Some fear that uncertainty about who owns the minerals under the lake will deter oil development in the area. Amy Dalrymple/Forum News Service

Governor Doug Burgum and the Land Board Need to Get in Control of Their Bureaucrats

- May 24, 2017 - ,

There is a land grab being pursued by some North Dakota bureaucrats, an immoral sort of expropriation of valuable private mineral rights, that is now in defiance of not only decency but legislative intent. Our state’s elected leaders serving on the Board of Trust Lands need to step in and restore order. They need to…

Lynn Helms, state director of department of mineral resources, talks about North Dakota's oil production Monday, July 19, 2010, at his office in Bismarck.

Accusations About Oil Regulators Destroying Records Are Political Baloney

- May 24, 2017 - ,

A recent news article credulously reported the claims of a Bismarck attorney who is accusing the Department of Mineral Resources of deleting public records. That’s a serious accusation. Destroying or otherwise inhibiting the public’s access to public records is a crime, one possibly as serious as a felony depending on the circumstances. But as I…

Senator Heidi Heitkamp speaks during a 5/22/2017 meeting with the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce. via YouTube

Video: Senator Heidi Heitkamp Rips #TheResistance, Calls It a “Waste of My Time”

- May 23, 2017 - ,

Here at the dawn of what could be a very, very tough re-election campaign Senator Heidi Heitkamp has been cozying up to the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce. The impetus for said coziness is her support (seemingly at odds with her recent voting record) for regulatory reforms the business community wants. Because to win in…

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