After he was sworn in as North Dakota's 33rd governor on Dec. 15, 2016, Doug Burgum (R) urged the state's lawmakers to embrace changes in energy, education, tax and spending policies, and information dissemination to help reverse declining revenues.
Burgum also outlined work needing to be done after the Dakota Access crude oil pipeline protests, and called for collaboration across state and local law enforcement, state agencies, communities, faith-based and other nonprofit organizations, and the judiciary to combat prescription drug and opioid addiction.
"To thrive in this new paradigm, we need to instill a powerful culture of courageous curiosity across our state," Burgum said in his first State of the State address on Jan. 3. "Anything being done simply because 'that's the way we have always done it' should be, and must be, rigorously and respectfully questioned."
The governor said the Dakota Access pipeline protests began with a debate concerning legitimate issues raised by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, including protecting valuable water resources and a desire for genuine government-to-government consultation. "Those original concerns have been hijacked by those with alternative agendas," Burgum said.
While peaceful protest is an established American right, protesters also must respect private property rights, court orders, and law enforcement personnel, he said. Vandalism, harassment, and trespassing "are not a part of North Dakota's character and will not be tolerated," he maintained.
Some individuals' violent actions not only strain North Dakota relationships, but also ironically endanger Missouri River waters, Burgum added. "The main protest camp is located directly in the floodplain of the Cannonball-Missouri River confluence," he explained. "Given the snowfall this winter and historic data on the Cannonball River, the camp will likely flood in early March."
Anything less than completing restoration before then will endanger lives of both protesters and first responders, Burgum said. Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault asked protesters to leave, and the state fully supports his call, the governor said.
'Costly and time-consuming'
"Vacating the unauthorized main camp on Army Corps land, cleaning up the abandoned cars, illegal structures, and human waste from months of occupation will be a costly and time-consuming effort. The cleanup will require coordination from tribal, county, state, and federal agencies," he said.
Burgum said the protests were a reminder of how Native Americans have been treated historically in the Northern Great Plains with broken promises, displaced families, and forced assimilation.
"As governor, I pledge my administration to a fresh start in our relations with all tribal nations who live with and among us," he said. "Our state will never achieve its fullest potential until all North Dakotans have an opportunity to build a prosperous future."
Nick Snow
NICK SNOW covered oil and gas in Washington for more than 30 years. He worked in several capacities for The Oil Daily and was founding editor of Petroleum Finance Week before joining OGJ as its Washington correspondent in September 2005 and becoming its full-time Washington editor in October 2007. He retired from OGJ in January 2020.
