On this episode of Plain Talk, Senator Kevin Cramer and I discussed the recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Iranian equipment was used in the attacks, but the country is denying involvement. Cramer, who said he’s “read the classified CIA brief on the evidence,” said it’s his “sense” Iran was behind the attacks. “Any deniability…
Saudi Attacks Should Make Us Thankful the Environmental Zealots Have Been (Mostly) Losing Their War on American Oil Development
Over the weekend the American news media was obsessed with another salacious (though ultimately not nearly so salacious as initially reported) story about the Trump administration. Largely overlooked in that furor were coordinated drone attacks on roughly half of Saudi Arabia’s crude oil production facilities. Though the Saudi national oil company, Aramco, acted quickly to…
Plain Talk: Meridian Energy CEO Says Davis Refinery Will Produce Less Pollution Than Theodore Roosevelt National Park
With two different legal battles going before the North Dakota Supreme Court, the fight over building the Davis Refinery in western North Dakota drags on. “I look back now and realize just how naive I was,” Bill Prentice, CEO of Meridian Energy, said of the process. Meridian is the company trying to build the refinery.…
North Dakota Regulators Owe the Public a Better Explanation for Spill Underreporting
“I get it – people want more information.” That’s what North Dakota Environmental Quality Chief Dave Glatt told the Associated Press, responding to controversy over a situation were hundreds of thousands of gallons of liquid natural gas was described as merely 10 gallons in an official state report. But does Glatt get it? So far…
How Can Democrats Reach Out to Rural Voters When They Hate What We Do for a Living?
Last month at one of the debates held for the crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates, supposedly moderate front runner Joe Biden said there would be no place in his administration for oil and coal. Biden on whether or not there would be a place for fossil fuels including coal and fracking in his administration:…
Plain Talk: Expanding Capacity for the Dakota Access Pipeline, and What Can We Really Do to Stop Mass Murder Attacks?
“Nothing changes with respect to the operating pressure.” That’s what Glenn Emery said of the expansion of the Dakota Access Pipeline on this episode of Plain Talk. He is the Vice President of Commercial Operations and Business Development for Energy Transfer Partners – the company which owns DAPL – and he says the construction of…
Young Americans Have Been Flocking to Energy Industry Opportunities in North Dakota and the Middle Part of America
Sometimes it’s hard to describe to people how much I love North Dakota. I was born in Anchorage, Alaska, and spent the first ten years of my life in Wasilla. When my family moved here the 4th grade version of me resented it. I loved the mountains and the trees. I wasn’t sure how to…
Give Commissioner Fedorchak Credit for Sticking With North Dakota’s Rail Inspection Program
During the 2015 legislative session Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak fought a pitched battle, mostly behind-the-scenes, against cantankerous lawmakers who were skeptical of her desire to create a state-level rail inspection program. With 20/20 hindsight, we can now see that Fedorchak had the right of this issue. The Legislature, grudgingly, authorized a temporary program with…
Plain Talk: Industry Spokesman Says Reducing Oil Production Isn’t the Way to Curb Flaring
The issue of natural gas flaring in North Dakota is making regional, and even national, headlines again. Ron Ness from the North Dakota Petroleum Council talks about the issue on this episode of Plain Talk. North Dakota is an oil play, but the wells here also produce a lot of natural gas as a byproduct…
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…