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…
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.…
Democratic Presidential Candidate Signs Bill Implementing a “De Facto Ban” on North Dakota Oil Shipments
Washington Governor Jay Inslee just signed legislation in his state imposing regulations on oil shipped by rail which are so stringent they act (to use the words of North Dakota’s congressional delegation) as a “de facto ban.” Inslee has justified the move by saying the state is stepping up to fill a safety vacuum left…
Plain Talk: Congressman Armstrong Tells Critics “I Had an Oil Well in My First Campaign Ad”
Congressman Kelly Armstrong has come under fire this week for his background working and investing in the oil industry. Some say it should disqualify him from serving on a House committee tasked with addressing climate change. “Congratulations to the D.C. media. It took them two months to figure out I’m in the oil industry,” Armstrong…
Nearly Three Years After Standing Rock Protests North Dakota Signs Agreement With Tribal Government to Facilitate Oil Production
Three cheers for Governor Doug Burgum and Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Chairman Mark Fox who, yesterday, signed a new agreement to share tax revenues from oil activity on tribal lands. It’s a big deal, and noteworthy coming as it does nearly three years after the beginning of the #NoDAPL protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.…
Minnesota’s Taxpayers Paid $10,000 for This Awful Painting Depicting the #NoDAPL Protests
In 2018, the Minnesota Arts Board gave artist Jim Denomie a $10,000 grant to “create a series of large paintings in response to Standing Rock and other contemporary events from a Native American perspective.” Here’s what Mr. Denomie produced (click for a larger view): I’ll admit that it’s…interesting. In the same morbid way that a car wreck…
Even at Its Peak Violent Crime in the Bakken Oil Patch Was About the Same as the Surrounding Region
Recently my colleague April Baumgarten produced a very thorough report on crime in the region of the Bakken oil fields during the oil boom years. A lot has been written about that topic. North Dakotans are pretty familiar with the “dark side of the boom” genre of journalism which were endemic to reporters covering the…