Transparency a Concern as North Dakota Agency Ends Oil Lease Auction Notices in Newspapers

(Photo by Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – The North Dakota agency responsible for managing state-owned minerals is changing how it keeps the public informed, prompting concerns about a lack of transparency.

The Department of Trust Lands is moving ahead with plans to stop publishing notices in local newspapers of oil and gas lease auctions after a lawmaker’s attempt to delay the rule change was defeated in an interim legislative meeting.

Rep. Don Longmuir, R-Stanley, made the motion at the meeting because he fears the change will result in less transparency for communities in his district, which includes a significant slice of the state’s oil field.

“That’s the one thing we always hear so much about, is transparency. Well, transparency is letting as many people know in as many ways as you can,” Longmuir said.