Plain Talk

North Dakota's oil production has "matured." Another term for it might be "plateaued." That's the estimate of Lynn Helms, who is the director of the oil and gas division of North Dakota's Department of Mineral Resources. On this episode of Plain Talk, he said the state has about a decade of steady production driving plenty of revenue - "this is a great time" for tax revenues from oil production, Helms says - but that we shouldn't expect a lot of growth. That might sound like sobering news in a state where oil activity drives an outsized portion of state tax revenues and commerce, but Helms isn't striking a dour note. Oil production may be plateauing, but gas production is not. The state is still very much in a growth phase when it comes to that commodity, and it can create a lot of other opportunities. Also, the state's emerging carbon capture industry could be key in the development of enhanced oil production techniques that could put the state's oil production back into the growth column.

Since Governor Doug Burgum announced a goal of making North Dakota's economy carbon neutral by the year 2030, the state has seen about $30 billion worth of investment in things like carbon capture project. James Leiman, who serves in Burgum's administration as commerce commissioner, said on this episode of Plain Talk that these investments can "add to every single sector of our economy." "We are going to grow every single one of these things," Leiman said, referring to agriculture, coal, oil, gas, wind power, and more. Plus, carbon capture has the very real chance to become a burgeoning industry in the state in its own right. Leiman says North Dakota is a special place that can make it happen. "This is one of the last places in the world where the American dream still exists," he said. Also on this episode, Attorney General Drew Wrigley talks about what it's been like to take over that office since the passing of Wayne Stenehjem, as well as how he plans to campaign for a term of his own.

On this episode of Plain Talk, we spent more time talking about gazpacho than I ever imagined I would on an episode of a politically-themed podcast. Columnist Tony Bender joined Wednesday co-host Chad Oban and I talking about the struggle North Dakota's Democrats have recruiting candidates, the term limits ballot measure which will almost certainly be on the November ballot, the initiated measure process, and the U.S. Senate primary race between state Rep. Rick Becker and incumbent Senator John Hoeven. Oh, and lots and lots of jokes about gazpacho. Subscribe to Plain Talk on your favorite podcasting network: https://www.inforum.com/podcasts/plain-talk-with-rob-port Support Plain Talk, and get access to Rob's columns as well as a lot of other great content, with a subscription: https://www.inforum.com/rob-port

Minot, N.D. — There is only one Democrat elected to public office in western North Dakota, and she's retiring. State Senator Erin Oban announced last year that she won't be running for another term in office. Two Republican candidates, Ryan Eckroth and Sean Cleary, have announced campaigns for that seat. Tracy Potter, who served a term in that Senate seat previously after getting elected in 2006, has also announced his candidacy as a Democrat. He joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss what he sees as an arrogant legislature, the importance of protecting the initiated measure process, and term limits, among other issues. Subscribe to Plain Talk on your favorite podcasting service: https://www.inforum.com/podcasts/Plain-Talk-With-Rob-Port Subscribe to Inforum.com to support the podcast and access news content from across our region: https://www.inforum.com/subscribe

What started as a small protest of truckers upset about the Canadian government's vaccine mandates has turned into a full-on international movement. Now demonstrators have blocked multiple crossings between the United States and Canada, and it's having a deleterious impact on commerce between our nations at a time when we hardly need it. Not one of us needs prices to go any higher, do we? On this episode of Plain Talk, Senator Kevin Cramer talks about the protests, why they're happening, and how they could be stopped. "What they're asking for is so simple," Cramer said, noting that all the Canadian government would have to do to end the demonstrations is lift the mandate. He's got a point. Over 251 million Americans, or about 87.4 percent of adults, have at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. In Canada, 88.3 percent of citizens over the age of 5 have been vaccinated. Among the truckers, about 90 percent of those who regularly cross the border are vaccinated according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance. Is this really still about public health? Or is it about different factions with entrenched positions being unwilling to give an inch? Sen. Cramer also talks about trucking regulations taking effect in the United States which have the potential to cause more problems for our national supply lines, and the on-going Olympic Games in China.

State Rep. Rick Becker, the founder of the Bastiat Caucus in the North Dakota legislature which claims that they, and not the much larger majority of their Republican colleagues, represent actual Republicanism, has announced a primary challenge to incumbent U.S. Senator John Hoeven. What does Hoeven think about it? He answered questions about that on today's Plain Talk, co-hosted Chad Oban who joins the show on Wednesdays. He said that he'll campaign against Becker the same way he campaigns every time he's on the ballot, which is by focusing on the things he's done in office. "It's a lot more than just voting no all the time," he said, touting his work across the aisle with people like Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. I'm not usually one for meme-based political arguments, but a friend shared this one after Becker announced his candidacy, and it seems apt: Hoeven also talked about the food fight which has erupted within the GOP about the Republican National Committee's decision to censure to sitting House members, Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, over their participation in congressional inquiries into the January 6 riot. "I'm not a fan of censures," Hoeven said of the move. Hoeven also said the January 6 riot was not legitimate political discourse as the RNC resolution claimed. "For people that broke the law, they need to be held accountable," he said. He agreed that the RNC resolution is a distraction. "Clearly we need to focus on winning in 2022," he said.

What is 30 by 30? It's an agreement, pushed by the global environmental movement, that would see participating countries place 30 percent of their land mass and controlled waters into conservation by the year 2030. For some, this is setting off alarm bells. On this episode of Plain Talk, radio host, farming/ranching activist, and 6th generation Nebraska farmer Trent Loos talks about the proposal and what he sees as a risk to food security. To be clear, the government already controls a lot of American land. The feds control over 28 percent, and that increases to well over 30 percent when you include state lands. Loos says further push to take land out of agricultural production would exacerbate a problem that already exists. Every year millions of acres of arable farm land are lost to urbanization as our communities grow.

Senator Kevin Cramer, one of former President Donald Trump's earliest and most consistent supporters, does not support the RNC's censure of Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger. Trump supporters in the RNC are pushing the censure because Cheney and Kinzinger have been critical of Trump and have participated in the congressional inquiry into the January 6th riot. "We don't have the luxury of kicking people out of our party," Cramer said of the resolution. That doesn't mean he's supportive of the position Cheney and Kinzinger have taken on Trump and the January 6 inquiry. On this episode of Plain Talk, he said he likely agrees with much of what the resolution says, but he doesn't believe the RNC ought to be focusing on this issue. "I think it's unnecessary and unproductive," he said. Cramer also discussed how we're facing our entanglements with China, from the Winter Olympics to the debate over the Fufeng corn milling facility to be built near Grand Forks, as well as the situation in Ukraine, and our evolving debate about energy. Want to be notified of new episodes of Plain Talk? Subscribe for free on your favorite podcasting platform: https://www.inforum.com/podcasts/plain-talk-with-rob-port Want to read Rob's columns? Subscribe for just $10 per month: HTTP://inforum.com/subscribe

In any sufficiently large group of people, you're going to have some undesirables. Whether it's a church congregation or a political party or a sports team fan base, if you look hard enough you'll find some people who just aren't very good people. But what happens when a certain type of behavior becomes the defining characteristic of a group of people? Robert Wheeler as a representative of the very Trumpy Bastiat Caucus faction of North Dakota Republicans, ran for chairman of the NDGOP last year. This week he was involved in what law enforcement alleges was a felony DUI accident, severely injuring his wife. He is also facing charges for disorderly conduct and preventing arrest because officers say he physically resisted them when they tried to arrest him. If these charges are upheld - Mr. Wheeler certainly has a right to his day in court - they're just the latest examples of problematic behavior from people in the Bastiat Caucus movement. Sen. Jason Heitkamp showed up to the special session of the state legislature in a truck with the words "f*** Joe Biden* on them. Prior to that, he was fond of calling for former President Barack Obama to be lynched. Former Rep. Luke Simons was expelled from last year's regular session over accusations of sexual harassment. His local party district chairman, who has since been ousted from that position, decried the expulsion as an "atrocity." Rep. Jeff Hoverson insulted his own majority leader during the special session, and prior to that was barred from a flight after getting into an altercation with a security agent. Rep. Jeff Magrum, who after redistricting will be seeking the District 8 Senate seat in the current election cycle, got so angry with a fellow lawmaker at a public meeting that law enforcement had to intervene and tell him to settle down. I could go on with more examples, but I think you get the point. It's a common political tactic to try and discredit a group of people by focusing on the behavior of a few fringe elements of that group. But how about when a certain type of unacceptable behavior becomes de rigueur for the group? On this episode of Plain Talk, Chad Oban and I talk about how the North Dakota Republican Party is dealing with that very problem, where a not-small faction of its membership regularly participates in behavior that's simply unaccetable. Also on this episode, Dr. Jeremy Jackson, a professor of economics at North Dakota State University, talks about school choice policies.

When the Capstone Classical Academy project was announced for Fargo, some people immediately looked at it through a political lens. It was called "Trumpy," by some. But is it? On this episode of Plain Talk, headmaster Paul Q. Fisher describes the philosophy behind the school's mission. They're hoping to provide the people of the region with an education rooted in classical education. That means the Greeks. The Romans. And, yes, the kids will be learning Latin. But Fisher stresses that it's not about promoting a certain ideology, but rather helping kids learn how to process information and think with reason and logic. Capstone is accepting enrollments now for the fall 2022 school year for pre-kindergarten through 6th-grade students. Fisher says they're at about 30 enrolled students so far, in the roughly three weeks since they've started, and they'll be holding classes regardless of how may students they get. The long-term goal is to build a campus on property that's already been secured, and begin adding grades to the school in future years. Subscribe to Plain Talk on your favorite podcasting app: https://www.inforum.com/podcasts/plain-talk-with-rob-port Subscribe to read Rob's writing: https://www.inforum.com/subscribe