One of the Legacy Fund bill sponsors, Rep. Merle Boucher, D-Rolette, said the opinion reinforces his change of mind about the timing of the fund. He said it's "premature" to put so much money away when there's such impact from oil development.
After driving through the oil patch in his campaign for state agriculture commissioner, "Now I have real reservations," Boucher said.
Everyone seems to be aware there are impacts from oil development and yet no one addresses these problems. For some odd reason they think the people of North Dakota will just live with poor quality of life and unsafe road conditions and their happy little political career goes on and their personal bank accounts grow with pay offs. Will these same people be held accountable when the State of North Dakota becomes overwhelmed with lawsuits from angry land owners that can no longer make a living because the State of North Dakota has allowed the Oil Companies to contaminate the land and water from which they make their living? Responsibility seems to be the word of the day, and much over looked by the State of North Dakota. First and foremost it is the States responsibility to make sure residents of the State are safe, and have clean air, soil and water, this is our one of our CONSTITUTIONAL rights and the States job to ensure we have this right. Some research has brought up a nice little law that reads: The citizens of North Dakota can sue for violations of any “environmental statute,” which is defined as “any statute for the protection of the air, water, and natural resources, including land minerals and wildlife.” I am far from an attorney, but this seem to be pretty cut and dry and easily understood, the State of North Dakota holds much responsibility in the picture here, and they don't seem to be holding up their end of the deal when it comes to Oil development. Land and water contamination are a serious subject, and not easily fixed. When ground water such as creeks and streams become contaminated with chemicals, how do you clean them? or contain that water so that contamination does not go further? This is really quite a domino effect, water flows from one creek to another and soon into the river and now drinking water for communities is also contaminated. So even though you are not the landowner directly effected by the contamination, your health is at stake. One small problem not properly addressed by the State of North Dakota becomes a huge problem for the health of the entire State. The land value of property that is contaminated becomes ZERO, this land is unsellable, worthless for farming, livestock, wildlife and unlivable because of health conditions caused by contamination. The land becomes un-insurable and will not qualify under any federal programs. The contamination may start on one piece of land and continue for many miles onto other landowners property, soon you have hundreds of acres of condemned land. Logic tells you the next step, lawsuit to regain loss of revenue, land value and quality of life. I wonder how many of these lawsuits the State of North Dakota will be involved in? my guess is many, knowing how much of our land and water has been destroyed by failure to properly regulate the Oil and Gas industry within the State. Responsibility or rather failure of, will now cost the residents of North Dakota a huge chunk of change and depletion of the Legacy Fund, in addition to the BILLIONS of dollars it will cost in attempt to try to clean up the mess they have made. Each and every resident of North Dakota will be effected by poor decisions made by poor politicians with fat bank accounts.
Everyone seems to be aware there are impacts from oil development and yet no one addresses these problems. For some odd reason they think the people of North Dakota will just live with poor quality of life and unsafe road conditions and their happy little political career goes on and their personal bank accounts grow with pay offs. Will these same people be held accountable when the State of North Dakota becomes overwhelmed with lawsuits from angry land owners that can no longer make a living because the State of North Dakota has allowed the Oil Companies to contaminate the land and water from which they make their living? Responsibility seems to be the word of the day, and much over looked by the State of North Dakota. First and foremost it is the States responsibility to make sure residents of the State are safe, and have clean air, soil and water, this is our one of our CONSTITUTIONAL rights and the States job to ensure we have this right. Some research has brought up a nice little law that reads: The citizens of North Dakota can sue for violations of any “environmental statute,” which is defined as “any statute for the protection of the air, water, and natural resources, including land minerals and wildlife.” I am far from an attorney, but this seem to be pretty cut and dry and easily understood, the State of North Dakota holds much responsibility in the picture here, and they don't seem to be holding up their end of the deal when it comes to Oil development. Land and water contamination are a serious subject, and not easily fixed. When ground water such as creeks and streams become contaminated with chemicals, how do you clean them? or contain that water so that contamination does not go further? This is really quite a domino effect, water flows from one creek to another and soon into the river and now drinking water for communities is also contaminated. So even though you are not the landowner directly effected by the contamination, your health is at stake. One small problem not properly addressed by the State of North Dakota becomes a huge problem for the health of the entire State. The land value of property that is contaminated becomes ZERO, this land is unsellable, worthless for farming, livestock, wildlife and unlivable because of health conditions caused by contamination. The land becomes un-insurable and will not qualify under any federal programs. The contamination may start on one piece of land and continue for many miles onto other landowners property, soon you have hundreds of acres of condemned land. Logic tells you the next step, lawsuit to regain loss of revenue, land value and quality of life. I wonder how many of these lawsuits the State of North Dakota will be involved in? my guess is many, knowing how much of our land and water has been destroyed by failure to properly regulate the Oil and Gas industry within the State. Responsibility or rather failure of, will now cost the residents of North Dakota a huge chunk of change and depletion of the Legacy Fund, in addition to the BILLIONS of dollars it will cost in attempt to try to clean up the mess they have made. Each and every resident of North Dakota will be effected by poor decisions made by poor politicians with fat bank accounts.
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