Bette Grande

The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is expected to begin carrying crude oil from western North Dakota to Illinois by May, but the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe plans to pursue efforts in and out of court to stop it and other energy infrastructure projects.

Throughout the first 100 days of the Trump administration, policymakers in energy-producing states have seen many positive improvements emerging out of Washington, D.C.

The recent release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 600-page methane rule was the latest skirmish in the war on methane, but the next battle will be felt at your supermarket. According to EPA, the oil and gas industry is the top methane offender, but livestock — especially cattle — is a close number-two, making ranchers and their cattle radical environmentalists’ next targets.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final methane rule on May 12. The 600-page rule is agenda-driven and backed by pseudoscience, emotions, and unicorn dust, and it’s important to note one specific change in the final rule amounts to a regulatory taking. The final rule imposes costly regulations on wells producing fewer than 15 barrels per day, effectively shutting down those businesses.

The budget deal recently reached between the White House and Congress dramatically increases spending over the next two years, to the tune of $50 billion and $30 billion, respectively. To “pay” for that spending increase, the deal promises to—wait for it—find significant spending cuts in the future. Where have we heard that before?

Like Mark Twain, the rumors of the death of the Bakken oil revolution are greatly exaggerated. The Atlantic is once again claiming the North Dakota oil “boom” has gone bust. I say ‘once again’ because The Atlantic ran a piece February 12, 2013 stating that the “boom” was over. Doom and gloom sells, truth is optional.