Deleted Oil and Gas Division emails resurrected as troublesome issue

After reviewing about 38,700 emails of State Oil and Gas Division employees that were on their way to a permanent cyber dump grounds, a Bismarck attorney is calling for a policy to protect important information for the public.

Derrick Braaten said it’s possible the division committed a Class C felony for destroying public records after employees hit the “delete” button in May 2016 on instruction from Lynn Helms, executive director of the Department of Mineral Resources, to “remove unnecessary emails.”

 

Deleted Oil and Gas Division emails resurrected as troublesome issue