The best defense against “federal regulators overreach” should be the Tenth Amendment.
The Grand Forks Herald editorializes,
In its dispute with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over air pollution, North Dakota has an ace in the hole: the state’s clean air. The American Lung Association’s most recent report card on air quality gave North Dakota all A’s.
So, when state regulators say they’re doing a good job, North Dakotans’ own eyes and ears back the claims up.
Can the same be said for fracking rules?
No. And over the months to come, the North Dakota Industrial Commission should act decisively to change that answer to yes.
That means taking strong action on a lineup of issues, including new and unfamiliar concerns such as the processing of radioactive drilling waste. Because solid, no-nonsense and resolutely enforced rules are North Dakota’s best defense against federal regulators’ overreach.
Given that North Dakota’s economy had languished for so long, it’s understandable that the state took pains not to scare oil companies away. So, while Norway essentially bans the flaring or burning off of natural gas from oil wells, North Dakota permits it — and as a result, 30 percent of the gas produced in the state is flared…
I believe the industry is working on the infrastructure to transport the gas produced. It’s a present worth thing. They have spent MILLIONS exploring the Bakken & found significant oil production which needs to be sold to keep the money coming in to drill the next MILLION. Oil can be trucked off the location, gas requires quite a gathering system to get it to market and takes time once the economics are estimatable.