Dakota Beacon

REMOTE HEARINGS  During the pandemic the ND court system had to adapt.  The courts are catching up and returning to normal, but some adaptations during the pandemic are going to be lasting.  Remote hearings will be more common reducing travel and costs in a rural state.  A Bismarck Tribune article said one attorney appeared remotely for hearings in Burleigh, Emmons and Stark counties all in the same day.  A judge said remote hearings will also benefit rural residents, people who can’t drive, doctors and people who may be at winter homes.

TOO MANY MAY BE AN ADVANTAGE  ND’s 11 public colleges and universities are regarded by many as excessive, politically popular in their respective communities, but overall redundant and wasteful.  However, the 2021 legislature gave the schools the largest budget ever.  Columnist Mike Jacobs saw this as evidence the overbuilt system was a strength.  He wrote: “The session illustrated clearly, however, that the profusion of campuses is a strength. On the most basic level, it makes higher education accessible. On a political level, it has built a base of support not only in the 11 communities that have campuses, but throughout the state.”

WILL RESEARCH SAVE LIGNITE?  Jacobs mentioned that UND has the largest 2021-23 budget in the university system.  This includes $15 million for energy research to develop technology for capturing and storing carbon.  This is critical to the future of ND’s lignite coal industry.  For example, United Energy, the company which may purchase the dying Coal Creek Station in Underwood, appears to be relying on breakthroughs in carbon capture technology.

THE LAMOUREUX TWINS may be the most honored athletes in ND history.  Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux became the 45th and 46th recipients of the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award — ND’s highest honor.  The UND grads and hockey stars won Olympic medals three times including gold medals in China in 2018.

GREEN SYNERGIES  A GF Herald editorial sang the benefits of the planned $350 million ADM soybean crushing plant near Jamestown.  The Herald succinctly described the related synergies:  “The soybean plant will be partly powered by steam from the nearby Great River Energy plant. The soybean plant, in addition to producing various foodstuffs, will sell oil to the Marathon refinery in Dickinson. Marathon will produce green diesel for markets in California.”  Gov. Burgum said “the opportunities for synergy between ag and energy continue to grow.”

MORE RENEWABLE FUEL  Private investors are beginning to see value-added investment opportunities in ND.  A Las Vegas investor has obtained a conditional use permit from Williams County for a plant in the Trenton area (a short distance south of Williston) which will process 100 million gallons of renewable fuels per year using soybean and canola oil.  This plant will operate much like the Dickinson Marathon refinery.

OIL TRAIN SABOTAGED  On Dec. 22, 2020, a 108-car oil train from ND was nearing its refinery destination in Ferndale, Washington when seven cars derailed and five caught fire.  Neither of two crew members were injured.  The derailment was caused by sabotage.  The incident happened near where two people had been arrested a month earlier and accused of attempting a terrorist attack on train tracks.  The FBI said there have been dozens of such cases involving BNSF tracks.

TACTICS FROM STANDING ROCK  "We are going to Standing Rock this place.” — Actress Jane Fonda in northern Minnesota to protest against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline.  She was referring to major disruptions at the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016 and 2017.  Fonda said their purpose was to put major pressure on Gov. Walz and President Biden.  An estimated 2,000 gathered along the Line 3 route — law enforcement said that over 250 had been arrested by Wednesday.  Winona LaDuke, an Indian activist in Minnesota and one of the local leaders of the protests, has long threatened to bring Standing Rock tactics to Minnesota.

ARE THE PROTESTS PEACEFUL?  An Enbridge spokesperson said “damage included vandalism of contractor equipment, as well as slashed tires, cut hoses, rocks and dirt in engines, forced entry into offices and destroyed electrical wiring in equipment.”  Native American contractors say the indigenous-led protests do not speak for them.  Six contractors wrote to tribal leaders:  “They (the protestors) also intentionally create a false narrative that there is no Native American support for this project and the economic impacts and opportunities it brings to our people."

BANKERS COMPLAIN  The ND Growth Fund portion of the Legacy Fund is deliberately investing slowly.  The manager is interviewing the state’s bankers, venture capitalists and economic developers.  The Growth Fund will use a portion of the earnings of the $8.7 billion Legacy Fund for investments in ND — the Growth Fund has $100 million to start.  ND bankers complain they have not been given an opportunity to invest money from the Legacy Fund.  It raises the question, if they have known of outstanding investment opportunities in ND, why didn’t they bring in local or out-of-state investors?

BURNING A HOLE IN THEIR POCKET  A Forum article says the MHA Nation (Three Affiliated Tribes) has thus far collected $1.7 billion in oil tax revenues.  That much money creates temptation.  A yacht purchased to be a floating casino has gone nowhere; same thing happened to plans and preliminary work on an oil refinery.  The MHA Nation’s current focus is a $26 million greenhouse project to make the tribes self-sufficient in vegetables.  Even more recent is the $12 million purchase of nine vacant acres in Las Vegas at a bankruptcy sale.  Now they must figure out what do do with it — possibilities range from a parking lot to a casino.

DAKTOIDS:  Creighton University’s Mid-America Business Conditions index (nine states) remained high in May — ND improved and its index of 75.2 was higher than the 72.3 average for the region . . . In April, ND general fund revenues were still above projections for the 2019-2021 biennium which ends in June . . . ND had a record 32 homicides in 2020 — Minot with less than 10% of the state’s population had more than 20% of the homicides.