Dustin Gawyrlow, North Dakota Watchdog Network joins Townsquare Media’s KLXX SuperTalk 1270’s Talk of the Town. The Wednesday edition of Talk of the Town is sponsored in part by The Crude Life and the founder Jason Spiess filled in for regular host Steve Bakken, who was participating in a US Veterans Honor Ceremony. (Bakken is the current Burliegh County Chairman and former Mayor of Bismarck.)
The two discuss North Dakota’s recent rash of irresponsible government and legislative behaviors.
North Dakota lawmakers will return to the capitol next week for a special legislative session to make changes to the budget bill that was declared unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court.
The court ruled that the legislature was not allowed to approve any bill that contained more than one subject. Legislation passed during the special session would go into effect immediately.
In a nutshell, the legislators attempted to bundle packages and deals together, whereas, the state require each bill and item to be voted on individually.
The Legislature did not budget for the upcoming special session, but could add money for it or use money budgeted for the 2025 regular session. A five-day November 2021 special session cost about $65,000 a day. The regular session costs about $80,000 a day.
However, inflation has increased over the past two years at a rate of 15-20% and those numbers do not include agriculture harvest costs, small business time off and other time monetary formulas that make up the legislators time away from their day to day affairs.
Summit Carbon Solutions and The Midwest Carbon Express Pipeline
Gawrylow also gave an update on Carbon Summit Solutions and their recent $50K Grant offer.
According to Dakota News:
After the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission denied Summit Carbon Solutions’ CO2 pipeline permit in September, the company is taking a new approach.
“You might call it a new leaf. We are committed to working with counties across the state of South Dakota to find a path through. We heard the PUC loud and clear,” said Sabrina Zenor.
Spokesperson Sabrina Zenor described a new grant offer to emergency managers of every affected county.
“We are starting with a $50,000 base grant and then offering $1,000 in addition for every mile that we are touching in that county,” said Zenor.
Brown County landowner Craig Schaunaman maintains his skepticism.
“It looks like they’re trying to buy their way into the counties rather than work their way into the counties,” Schaunaman said.
In McPherson County, landowner Mark Lampa points to Summit Carbon Solutions’ activity outside of the state.
“In North Dakota, they are still asking the state Public Service Commission to preempt the county ordinances that have been put in place up there. So they haven’t changed strategies everywhere,” said Lampa.
Gawrylow questioned the motivation behind this action and even what the “grant” was for.
“I’d be checking into the bank accounts of public officials in those counties if I were them,” Gawrylow said to oversight leaders involved with counties taking Summit’s grants.
Spiess took a different route on the pipeline problem.
“I see an opportunity for peace on this pipelines. I truly believe if they took the state officials of North Dakota out of this whole thing and put the landowners and the company in a room with a third party, they could broker peace,” Spiess said. “South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem quite possibly could be the only public official to broker this pipeline deal because she hasn’t taken a stance on this yet.”
Gawrylow agreed that SD Gov Kristi Noem has played the pipeline politically well without “taking a side”. He also said that SD and Iowa have done a fantastic job “mobilizing the troops”, however, the execution phase is being disrupted often by public officials.
Gawrylow also listed some financial facts involved with the landowers and how much they have spent on attorney fee’s.
“The North Dakota groups have spent well over a $1M while the three states collectively over $3M fighting this carbon pipeline, the state and the company’s legal tactics.”
The North Dakota Watchdog Network can be found here
Link to The Carbon Conference 2024 referrenced in interview
Townsquare Media’s KLXX SuperTalk 1270AM’s Talk of the Town airs live Monday through Friday from 9AM-11AM CT and is hosted by Steve Bakken.
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Bakken Landowners have Spent Over $1M in Legal Fees Fighting Carbon Pipeline Company