Nicole Derenne

“North Dakota’s land-based resources (soil, grasslands, water, and minerals) underpin our economy, and responsible stewardship keeps agriculture and energy productive for future generations. Evidence-based decision-making should inform the management, conservation, and development of land-based resources.

For management, whoever damages land or water pays to fix it. I support adequate bonding and firm enforcement for spills, abandoned wells, and reclamation, so their cost does not fall on neighbors or taxpayers.

For conservation, I support voluntary, working-land conservation. The Outdoor Heritage Fund pays for grazing systems, tree plantings, wetland restoration, and hunting access that farmers and ranchers choose. The Legislature has limited it to $7.5 million a year, well below the $20 million it could otherwise receive. I would raise that limit.

For development, responsible energy development should continue with benefits reaching North Dakotans first and respecting landowners’ property rights. I would also fund soil, water, and air monitoring and associated research at UND and NDSU.”

KEYWORDS: Conservation, responsible stewardship

“Both state and federal governments play a necessary role because the public bears the long-term risk of geologic CO₂ storage.

North Dakota regulates its carbon storage wells and was the first state to receive EPA authority to do so. State law also established a trust fund for long-term stewardship of closed sites. In August, the Industrial Commission approved $205 million in loans for Project Tundra. The state owes the public independent evidence when it funds carbon storage projects and looks after them for the long term.

I support three things.

First, operators should pay for monitoring through fees, and regulators and independent scientists should verify the results.

Second, data on CO₂ movement underground, groundwater quality, and seismic activity should be publicly accessible, with baseline water testing completed before injection begins. Two courts have ruled that forcing unwilling landowners into storage projects is unconstitutional, and state-funded carbon storage projects earn landowners’ consent when they share data openly.

Third, state and federal governments should continue funding research at UND’s Energy & Environmental Research Center, along with independent reviews outside project developers. Federal agencies should sustain research grants and keep minimum safety standards.”

KEYWORDS: Carbon storage wells, Project Tundra

“Local communities live with the traffic, noise, water use, and power demands of large infrastructure or technology projects. They should have a say throughout approval processes, with the facts in hand.

Recent state decisions have reduced local communities’ role in the approval process. In 2025, the Legislature passed House Bill 1258, which lets a state permit override township and county zoning for electric transmission lines. Data centers generally need only a local permit, with no formal environmental review, leaving small local boards to negotiate with some of the world’s largest companies.

I would support four policies.

1. No non-disclosure agreements between developers and public officials to ensure transparency.

2. The state should create model standards for siting, noise, water, and power use that small communities can adopt, plus technical help to evaluate proposals.

3. The state should have to weigh local ordinances when it makes a final siting decision. The state should also have to explain in writing when it overrides local ordinances.

4. Developers should pay for the roads, substations, and power lines their projects require, and community benefit agreements should put commitments on jobs and local payments in writing.”

KEYWORDS: Data centers, local ordinances, energy, model standards

“Farmers are being squeezed: North Dakota net farm income is projected to fall 16% in 2026 as federal payments recede, and fuel and fertilizer costs are expected to keep climbing. The state has tools to help farmers.

First, the state should invest in public agricultural research. Farmers rely on NDSU’s Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension to develop drought-resistant crop varieties and provide disease guidance, soil health practices, and farm management advice, and NDSU’s weather network runs more than 250 stations that inform planting, spraying, and irrigation decisions. Precision agriculture and unmanned aircraft, areas where Grand Forks leads, help farmers use less fuel, fertilizer, and chemicals per bushel. I would protect and grow that funding, because publicly funded research keeps those tools in farmers’ hands.

Second, the state should keep capital available for farmers. The Bank of North Dakota’s farm and beginning-farmer loan programs help families get through hard years.

Third, the state should expand regional markets. I support value-added processing, cooperatives, and regional food networks so more of the food and commodity dollars stay here.”

KEYWORDS: Agricultural research, regional markets, commodity production

“Scientific evidence should come first in every decision I make. I studied biology before my career in teaching and public administration, earned a doctorate in education, and work at a research university.

I would ask three questions of every bill. What does the best available evidence say? Who are the independent experts, and who paid for the research? Whom does the bill affect, and have they been heard? North Dakota has deep expertise at UND, NDSU, our tribal colleges, and state agencies, and I would use it. When the House rejected a 2025 bill to criminalize fluoride in public water, testimony from dentists and public health professionals mattered.

On uncertainty, I would be direct. I would say what we know, what we do not know yet, and what new evidence would change my mind. Changing course when the facts change is good governance. I would also build review dates and data reporting into major laws so we check results.”

KEYWORDS: Scientific evidence, independent experts, data reporting

“Tribal nations are sovereign governments and experienced stewards of land and water. Rivers and aquifers cross reservation boundaries, so stronger tribal capacity in environmental science, land management, and water monitoring makes everyone’s water safer. I would support four policies, shaped in partnership with tribal leaders.

First, I would bring back House Bill 1455, which the Senate defeated 40 to 7 in 2025. This bill would have required the Indian Affairs Commission to consult tribal chairs on bills affecting tribal nations.

Second, state agencies and tribal environmental offices should have agreements to share monitoring data, equipment, and lab access on terms that respect each tribe’s ownership of its own data.

Third, I would expand state research funding that pairs UND and NDSU with tribal colleges and support scholarships and training so tribal communities can hire their own environmental scientists, water operators, and land managers.

Fourth, tribal governments are already eligible for state programs such as the Outdoor Heritage Fund. The state should offer technical help with applications and matching requirements.”

KEYWORDS: Tribal colleges, tribal environmental offices, Indian Affairs Commission