The environmental activism aimed at impeding, and sometimes even blocking, the build-out of energy infrastructure such as pipelines and refineries/processing plants is bad for the environment. Don’t believe me? Witness the problems the oil and gas industry is having in addressing the flaring issue here in North Dakota. Back in 2014 our state developed, along…
Story About McKenzie County Sheriff Takes A Turn To The Bizarre
McKenzie County (Watford City) Sheriff Gary Schwartzenberger is in trouble. He has apparently been caught making personal charges on a county credit card, and then not paying the bill allowing the card to be canceled. The charges in question, stemming from what was supposed to be a trip to a conference in Las Vegas, “totaled…
Rep. Rick Holman: Oil Boom Brings Lasting Benefits For North Dakota
Forty North Dakota legislators spent two days touring the oil production area in Western North Dakota. As I looked up at the top of a drilling rig near Watford City on a beautiful summer morning, I could not help but think of the person who would be working 120 feet up in a January blizzard.…
Oil Patch Mayor Backs Off Call For Special Legislative Session
North Dakota Democrats have been making political hay out of calls for a special legislative session to address western oil patch needs, but it seems as though the leader of a town in the heart of the oil boom is now shooting down that idea after previously supporting it. This morning Scott Hennen was kind…
Western Mayor Calls City Water Park "Critical Infrastructure"
It’s become something of a cliche in the world of public policy for policymakers to stretch the definition of “infrastructure” to fit pet projects. After all, most Americans agree that infrastructure is one of the most important functions of government. So when politicians brand some project as infrastructure, they do so hoping the project will…
Watford City Mayor Blames Car Crash Fatalities On The State
Two teenagers from Watford City died this week after their car spun out of control on some ice and crashed into an oncoming semi. The crash was horrific; the deaths tragic. But the Mayor of Watford City has decided to turn their deaths into political capital, blaming the state for their deaths, and that’s unconscionable:…