In The News
Bismarck Tribune Editorial Cites Landowner Concerns
The Bismarck Tribune published an editorial highlighting State Ag Commissioner Doug Goehring’s concern about proposed changes to state oil and gas rules. “He said they could create potential hardships for landowners, and the Tribune Editorial Board agrees.” The editors’ final sentences say it best: The Tribune isn’t against enhanced oil recovery, but we believe … Read More
Latest “Bridge to Nowhere” News
The Prairie Blog has long featured reporting about the “Bridge to Nowhere,” the bridge that Billings County Commissioners want to build on the Short Family Ranch. Read the most recent blog post detailing some of the legal history of the fight between the County and the Shorts, and the recent detail related to eminent domain … Read More
Proposed Changes to Oil & Gas Rules May Put Landowners in Limbo
The Department of Mineral Resources is requesting public input for its proposed changes to state oil and gas rules. The proposed changes will offer guidelines promoting captured carbon dioxide emissions, among other issues. Landowners are concerned that these regulations could cause a problematic delay in reclaiming and plugging old wells, which could lead to environmental … Read More
NWLA filed amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief to support Landowners defending land from Summit Carbon Solutions
Our client, Northwest Landowners Association, filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief to support landowners who are defending their land from Summit Carbon Solutions and an unconstitutional taking of private property. As we said to the Supreme Court of North Dakota in our brief: “Property rights are necessary to preserve freedom, for property … Read More
Summit Carbon Solutions Pipeline Permit Rejected by ND PSC
Today, the North Dakota Public Service Commission unanimously rejected Summit Carbon Solutions’ route permit for its regional pipeline, the Midwest Carbon Express. Summit states it “respects the decision by the North Dakota Public Service Commission, and we will revisit our proposal and reapply for our permit.” Read more about today’s vote as well as … Read More
Short Ranch Family Files Federal Lawsuit
The Short Ranch family has filed a lawsuit against Billings County and its commissioners, related to a proposed bridge crossing on their property. The Short Family has publicly opposed this proposed bridge for years. They dropped a previous lawsuit related to the bridge when the Commission voted in 2021 to stop the project. Read more … Read More
Summit Draft Applications Available For Review
Northwest Landowners Association has made available to the public the application materials Summit Carbon Solutions submitted for its geologic sequestration permits in North Dakota. These materials were obtained from the North Dakota Industrial Commission through an open records request. The draft applications provide essential insights into the proposed storage sites, potential injection zones, and other … Read More
More Press on Landowners’ Lawsuit
The Minot Daily News ran a recent story detailing the recent lawsuit on behalf of the Northwest Landowners Association. In the story, our client, Northwest Landowners Association Chairman Troy Coons said, “…the state and the industry chose to ignore our concerns and forced us to raise them in a court of law. We always begin … Read More
Property Rights Concerns Highlighted in Landowners Lawsuit
The Bismarck Tribune ran a story related to our client’s recent lawsuit related to property rights and land survey laws. It details the concerns landowners have about current state law regarding land surveys as well as the power the North Dakota Legislative Assembly has granted the North Dakota Industrial Commission legislative power to “amalgamate” land … Read More
Northwest Landowners Association Files New “Amalgamation” Lawsuit
Northwest Landowners Association has filed another lawsuit against the state of North Dakota, asking a court to strike down certain laws as unconstitutional takings of private property rights. The laws at issue are related to the injection of carbon dioxide into the pore space to sequester it, and the storage of gas, and they … Read More