Protect special places

Williston (N.D.)Herald: Gov. Jack Dalrymple is under a lot of pressure.

An effort led by state Rep. Roscoe Streyle is pushing Dalrymple to exert his authority and limit the number of “special places” that can be free of oil wells.

The controversy came about after a group led by Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem designated 20 places in the state as “special” and announced that oil companies would not be able to drill on the sites.

Stenehjem’s recommendation will likely be decided by Dalrymple.

Last week, Streyle wrote an opinion piece blasting Stenehjem for protecting so many areas, saying North Dakota should concentrate more on being business friendly and less on being “special.”

While we agree the state should be business friendly, the government is also responsible for protecting the areas that make North Dakota unique.

The reality is we don’t want drilling rigs popping up along Lake Sakakawea or Theodore Roosevelt National Park. If we visit the Killdeer Mountains or the Little Missouri State Park, we want to see the scenery that makes North Dakota special.

We support oil drilling, and we support the companies that risk so much to bring oil out of the ground.

But the companies can drill without infringing on some of the most beautiful places in the nation. With horizontal drilling techniques, a rig could easily set up two miles away and still collect oil under the Roosevelt Park.

We want North Dakota to remain business friendly, but the state can do that while protecting some of the places that make North Dakota truly special.