Category: Law, Government, Politics

Salt water is in the news this week. You read in the papers this morning that a company called Denbury Onshore, a subsidiary of Denbury Resources of Plano, Texas, which is in the oil business in the Bakken in both Montana and North Dakota, “released” about 700,000 gallons of salt water into Big Gumbo Creek … Continue reading Time To Send Denbury Packing?

A short history lesson on the Little Missouri National Grasslands of western North Dakota. For thousands of years Indian nations hunted and thrived on the grasslands. A spiritual tie to the land based on Indian beliefs developed and is still honored today. However, as America pushed west, the grasslands became home to new settlers in … Continue reading Special Places? How About American Treasures?

I’m beginning to think that Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem might just be ready to really start looking at oil and gas drilling permit applications instead of just giving them blanket approval at monthly meetings of the North Dakota Industrial Commission. That would be the best news to come out of the Oil Patch since fracking … Continue reading Here’s How We Can Help Wayne Stenehjem Tackle The Oil Industry

A friend of mine once described me as a “lapsed journalist.” I corrected him and said I was a “recovering journalist.” In either case, the title gives me the credentials to tell you a story about the sorry state of journalism in North Dakota. Last Sunday, the Forum Communications Company’s North Dakota papers ran a … Continue reading Journalism 101

Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed, Then one day he was shootin at some food, And up through the ground came a bubblin’ crude.                                     The Ballad of Jed Clampett Well, it would be fun to think that was what happened up … Continue reading Black Gold; Texas Tea

There so much news coming out of the Oil Patch I can hardly absorb it. And, frankly, it scares the hell out of me. Partly because there really are things to be scared about, and partly because there is so much misinformation being spread around that I feel we’re in daily danger of not being … Continue reading Another Oil Patch Roundup

I’m not sure how long Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem intended to keep his secret task force on “places not to put oil wells” a secret, but North Dakota is still a pretty small state, and the North Dakota Capitol is a relatively small building, and it’s pretty hard to keep anything that goes on there … Continue reading Of Lists And Secret Meetings

Some things to catch up on from earlier reports on goings-on in the oil patch: NATHAN GARBER AND HALEK OPERATING We reported a couple weeks ago on the case of Nathan Garber, the fellow who dumped 800,000 gallons of contaminated water down a well shaft out by Dickinson. The technical charge against him was “violation … Continue reading Oil Patch Justice

You haven’t read about this in the North Dakota newspapers, or seen it on the six o’clock news, but the Internet is full of the gaffe Congressman Kevin Cramer made when he stepped on his you-know-what by quoting a Bible verse to a constituent. It started with a note posted on Kevin’s Facebook page by … Continue reading Memo To Kevin Cramer: “I Hope You Don’t Consider Yourself A Christian.” And Other Mean Things People Are Saying

Okay, here’s a chance to own your very own oil well. Actually, four oil wells.  They’re very special oil wells. Oh, you’ll have to share them with others. From what I can tell, you’ll actually really own about 1/60th of these four wells. But hey, that’s something. Especially these oil wells. They’re special. Extra special. … Continue reading Harold Hamm’s Looking For A Partner. You In?