Williston, N.D. (AP) A group critical of the environmental impacts of the North Dakota oil industry is calling for a legislative investigation and audit of North Dakota officials following revelations from a recently published investigation.
The Dakota Resource Council says its call was prompted by two stories published in the New York Times. Those stories highlighted a close relationship between state government and the oil industry characterized in part by low fines for environmental infractions.
North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple in a statement this week said the articles did not present an accurate picture of North Dakota's energy development.
Dakota Resource Council Executive Director Don Morrison says state government has turned its back on the people who live in North Dakota through its leniency on the oil industry.