Last week Governor Doug Burgum sent a letter (see below) to U.S. Customs and Border Protection urging them not to limit the hours of three ports of entry along North Dakota’s border with Canada (map). The hours of operation for the U.S. side of the crossings at Antler, Carbury, and Maida are 9am to 10pm.…
As Dakota Access Pipeline Fight Heats up Again Poll Says Nearly 70 Percent of North Dakotans Support Expansion
On Wednesday next week, North Dakota’s Public Service Commission will be holding a public hearing at the Emmons County Courthouse in Linton to allow comment on a proposed expansion of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Currently, the line has the capacity for about 500,000 barrels per day. The expansion would take that into the neighborhood of…
North Dakota Auditor Now Seems to Be Routinely Referring Audits for Criminal Investigation
North Dakota Auditor Josh Gallion recently referred two of his recent audits to law enforcement for investigation for possible criminal charges. One was related to the withholding of email records at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton. The Cass County State’s Attorney reviewed the matter and reported not finding any infractions which…
Excessive Child Care Regulations Benefit Big Businesses but Hurt the Small Ones
One of the paradoxes of American politics is that our friends on the left (and even many on the right) are generally supportive of expansive regulatory regimes even as they rail against the evils of big business. This is a paradox because one way businesses deal with complicated and costly regulations is through consolidation. The…
Print Column: ‘Progressive’ Energy Policy Hampers Progress
MINOT, N.D. — It’s remarkable how many self-described progressives are against progress. Is it progress for hundreds of thousands of Californians to go without electricity in blackouts power company officials say may be necessary for at least the next decade? Our modern society, with all of its speed and convenience, is built on the back of…
North Dakota Attorney General Asks for Law Enforcement Investigation Into Commerce Department Audit Findings
In September, Auditor Josh Gallion’s office released the report of an audit of the North Dakota Commerce Department. You can read the full report at the link above, but this is a summary of the findings: In a response included in the audit report, the Commerce Department agreed that funds were not used in the…
Cass County Prosecutor Won’t Pursue Criminal Charges Over ND School of Science Audit
Earlier this year Auditor Josh Gallion’s office flagged a situation at the North Dakota State School of Science wherein a VP at the school, Tony Grindberg, was involved in negotiating a contract between the university and his wife’s public relations firm. NDSCS President John Richman has claimed that Grindberg’s connection to the firm, Flint Group,…
If North Dakota’s Universities Are in a “Death Spiral” It’s Not From Lack of Public Funding
There is a popular myth in North Dakota, one particularly acute among those work in our state’s public university system, which holds that the universities are being choked to death by stingy state policymakers. Back in September, Sheila Liming, an Assistant Professor in the English Department at the University of North Dakota, wrote an article…
Auditor Gallion Needs to Be Careful Not to Prove His Critics Right
First-term state Auditor Josh Gallion, who recently announced his intention to seek another term in office, has earned himself a lot of praise. His aggressive and incisive audits have been something of a revelation, showing a willingness to uncover real problems in state and local government dominated by members of Gallion’s own political party. In…
Publicly Oley Larsen Says He Won’t Resign, but Privately He’s Asking His Fellow Senators for Their Opinion
This morning embattled state Senator Oley Larsen (R-Minot) apologized for falsely claiming that Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is a terrorist trained by al Qaeda. He specifically said he was not apologizing to Omar, though, and he also said that he doesn’t intend to resign his position. “I’m willing to own my role in spreading misinformation…