Dakota Beacon

THE CHESS GAME CONTINUES  The owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline had thought by this time there would be a definitive ruling from the Corps of Engineers whether the pipeline could continue to operate as the Corps conducts an environmental review (EIS).  They got an answer, but it was a definite “maybe.”  The Corps said it was in “continuous process of evaluating the situation.”  A decision may now fall back into the hands of a federal District Court.

A YEAR TO AN ANSWER  The DAPL is transporting nearly half of ND’s oil production and is a key factor in the ND economy.  If there is a court decision adverse to DAPL, there is almost certain to be an appeal.  The EIS is estimated to conclude in March 2022.  By the time the court process is finished, the EIS should be nearing completion and there would be little purpose to halting DAPL operations when a final answer is just around the corner.

CAUTION  “Our trend is not the right way in North Dakota.  I think it’s just premature to think this is over with in North Dakota.” — Kirby Krueger, director of the Health Department’s Disease Control division.  Over the past month, total active cases of COVID-19 have nearly doubled in ND.  Krueger cited variants, which are more infectious, as a key factor.  He said a pandemic wave like that being seen in Minnesota can’t be ruled out.

LOTS OF MONEY SEEKING A HOME  Gov. Doug Burgum signed a bill that targets 20% of the Legacy Fund for investments in ND — 10% for equity investments and 10% for fixed income investments.  Investment advisors are yet to be selected.  The Legacy Fund is over $8 billion and growing — 20% is about $1.6 Billion.  It will be hard to invest that much money in a small, thin market like ND without overheating the market or making risky choices.  The challenge is compounded by another bill which authorizes $680 million of state bonds for grants for flood control and other infrastructure projects.  The bonds will be repaid from Legacy Fund earnings.

VACCINE SHY  Overall, 44% of ND residents are vaccinated, but that number hides some big differences between east and west.  Cass County (Fargo) has a 52% vaccination rate, while Williams County (Williston) is 24%.  Seven counties are less than 30%, all are west of Bismarck.  Some attribute the reluctance in the western counties to oil field workers, often out-of-state, who bring an independent attitude and suspicion of government programs.

STAND YOUR GROUND is a term used to describe a law that permits the use of deadly force against an attacker without retreating.  Current ND law includes a “duty to retreat” to avoid an attacker.  A new law, which the governor has not yet signed, eliminates that requirement.

SOUTH DAKOTA had an unexplained burst in homicides in 2020.  Homicides, excluding the reservations, were up 58% to 37.  The number of reservation homicides for 2020 was not available, but if they were the same as 2019, the state total in 2020 would be 53.  Of those, well over half are estimated to be American Indians, some lived off the reservations.

CHRIS MAGNUS, who was chief of police in Fargo from 1999 until 2006, has a career full of controversy and accomplishment.  Magnus moved from Fargo to head the police department in Richmond, California, then known as a crime capital with a racially-troubled police department.  It was rocky going, but he stubbornly persisted and made significant progress on both problems.  In Richmond, he was one of the nation’s few openly gay chiefs of police and married a man who was a member of city management.  Magnus couldn’t stand success and accepted the position of chief of police in Tucson, Ariz.  More tough going, but the New York Times called him a "maverick for pushing progressive changes.”

NATIONAL OFFICE FOR MAGNUS  This week, Magnus was on the move again having been nominated by President Biden to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  The appointment must be confirmed by the Senate.  This is a big, high visibility job — the department has 60,000 employees and a $15 billion budget.  Magnus was selected, in part, for his experience with immigration in a border city.  The mayor of Tucson said, “Chief Magnus has developed a national reputation for his sensible, inclusive approach to policing that has always centered around community building.”  His nomination attracted favorable commentary from the Fargo Forum to the SF Chronicle.

CRYPTO CURRENCIES, of which Bitcoin is the most well-known example, can be acquired several ways.  One way is mining, a technical, computer-intensive procedure requiring large and expensive amounts of electrical power.  A pair of Grand Forks entrepreneurs have a novel approach to mining — they are acquiring a high-tech cargo container which has its own electrical hookups and cooling equipment.  They will fit it with mining rigs and place it next to a Minnkota substation and acquire excess power at a discount.

DAKTOIDS:  Seven of Fargo-Moorhead’s 60-plus hotels are closed as a result of the pandemic.  The comparable number of closures for the entire state is 30 . . . The oil-producing Ft. Berthold Reservation barred members of the Standing Rock Reservation who were protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline . . . Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will speak at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck next month.