Bill Patrie
DemocraticQ4 North Dakota is a top state in the nation for both reserves and production of crude oil, natural gas, and coal (https://www.eia.gov/states/ND/analysis) and over 38 million acres are used for crop and livestock production (US Census of Agriculture, https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_State_Level/North_Dakota/). What policies, if any, do you support or envision in managing land-based resources in North Dakota (and nationally) and how do these policies relate to conservation and economic development in natural resource sectors?
“Sustainable economic development requires more than extracting finite supplies of coal, natural gas or crude oil. Human Resources are assets to be developed for the next generation of economic growth.”
KEYWORDS: energy is part of the environment-not its enemy
Q6 North Dakota is developing large-scale carbon capture and geologic CO₂ storage projects, which require monitoring of underground CO₂ movement and potential impacts on groundwater and seismic activity. What role, if any, should state/federal governments play in funding research and collecting data on the effectiveness, environmental impacts, and long-term reliability of geologic CO₂ storage?
“The state should play a major role in monitoring such projects-they are already providing funding.”
KEYWORDS: science funding must have real benefit to North Dakotans
Q7 What role should local communities play in approving large infrastructure or technology projects? What policies would you support related to this role and the economic impact of large projects on local communities?
“Proposed large infrastructure projects need to comply with reasonable zoning ordinances and provide adequate time and information for local officials in all their capacities to fully understand the impacts on the entire community and region.
Policy regarding economic development, workforce development , and the quality of the jobs are not often evaluated by people capable of that evaluation.”
Q8 North Dakota farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?
“Millions, perhaps billions of dollars are already being spent on scientific research to increase production, and reduce costs for farmers. However research paid by check off dollars often benefits the researcher rather than the farmers who paid for it.”
KEYWORDS: The two words are linked and inseparable.
Q9 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?
“Science is based on understanding environmental reality. Policy makers must use a discipline approach in dealing that emerging understanding when determine the proper role of government.”
KEYWORDS: Open, accurate, unbiased, inclusive, non-defensive
Q10 Tribal nations play an important role in North Dakota’s environmental stewardship, but many face challenges in accessing resources and infrastructure for environmental science, land management, and water monitoring. What policies, if any, would you support to strengthen tribal capacity in these areas, and why?
“Tribally operated environmental programs should have the full resources of state operated programs available to them also. The federal programs should be allies and not competitors
Diplomacy doesn’t mean compromise, it means shared underrstanding”