North Dakota Needs a Qualified Oil and Gas Director

Understaffed and overwhelmed, government oil field inspectors are struggling to provide adequate oversight amid an explosion of activity in North Dakota's oil patch, state and federal officials told The Associated Press.
Now this statement says it all, North Dakota is in serious need of some experienced staffing to lead this industry. Our current Director, has had little to no experience in the actual "oil drilling" field. Taken from Lynn Helms Bio :a roughneck in 1976 working summers and school holidays, now I doubt that someone who worked only a couple of summers and holidays was much more than worms corner, and that job takes little knowledge of drilling. He continued his oilfield experience as production engineer, now this job has absolutely nothing to do with drilling. This is all the work experience and drilling knowledge that Lynn Helms has, and yet states he is an expert on fracking, and knows everything about it and it's effects on our resources. His management skills do not appear to be much better, It's a fire drill every day," Lynn Helms, director of the state Department of Mineral Resources, said in an interview with the AP. "We need more properly trained enforcement people helping the industry stay on track." He makes this statement, but continues to hand out new permits faster than office staff can print them out. As in any business, when things get out of control, the business fails, as we are seeing here in North Dakota and feeling the effects already of poor leadership. So this is an acceptable excuse as to why our natural resources are being destroyed?  Hundreds of oilfield spills and thousands of waste disposal sites are being untended or are infrequently monitored, this taken also from the same Bismarck Tribune article, and our Oil and Gas Department allows this to go on, issues more permits, acknowledges there is a problem, and makes no changes in this department. North Dakota definitely has some staffing issues.

Surface Rights

Now in North Dakota surface rights have become non existing. Oil Companies trespass on your land, dig up soil with a backhoe, contaminate  your soil and water with oil, saltwater and chemical spills and our North Dakota Oil and Gas Department will do absolutely nothing.  You can provide their short staffed department with pictures, facts, figures and reports, thinking you should possibly have some rights since ownership is in your name, you pay land taxes and you have worked your whole life to pay for this land, but NO nothing is done on your behalf.  This is taken from the North Dakota Oil and Gas Rules and Regulations
38-08-01. DECLARATION OF POLICY. It is hereby declared to be in the public
interest to foster, to encourage, and to promote the development, production, and utilization of
natural resources of oil and gas in the state in such a manner as will prevent waste; to authorize and
to provide for the operation and development of oil and gas properties in such a manner that a
greater ultimate recovery of oil and gas be had and that the correlative rights of all owners be fully
protected; and to encourage and to authorize cycling, recycling, pressure maintenance, and
secondary recovery operations in order that the greatest possible economic recovery of oil and gas
be obtained within the state to the end that the landowners, the royalty owners, the producers, and
the general public realize and enjoy the greatest possible good from these vital natural resources.
Source: N.D. Century Code.
Now I also found on this site the Director's name is Lynn Helms, it would be a safe assumption that this declaration would be part of his job description.  Now I think it is also safe to say with employment that when you take a job and are given description of this job and what is expected of you and you do not meet your job description you soon find you are unemployed. So why then is Lynn Helms still the Director of North Dakota Oil and Gas?  I wonder who reviews his position?  If this is a law, why is it not enforced?  Why are laws made when the enforcers of these laws pick and choose when to use them?
So now you the landowner sit with the expense of  having to clean up the soil to farm, contaminated water so your livestock are now in jeopardy and still paying tax dollars to wages of  someone not doing their job. This is a no win situation, unless you are an out of state Oil Company or a ND State employee, then it is a win win situation.  I made the mistake of choosing an honest way to make a living.