Frack to the Future with North Dakota’s permitting success

Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released a new report highlighting North Dakota’s user-friendly environmental permitting laws.

“North Dakota has always been rich with natural resources. Technology and a uniquely efficient bureaucracy provided the means for the private sector to harness natural resources and ensure its benefits for future generations,” CEI Adjunct Fellow James Broughel and North Dakota State University Research Specialist Ricky Feir say in their report.

“Agencies like the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) have a history of transparency along with fast and streamlined permitting. These governing bodies have used transparency to establish legitimacy with their citizenry, while harnessing a productive energy industry for social benefit.”

North Dakota’s success shows how streamlined permitting practices, regulatory transparency, and measured governance can contribute to sensible use of natural resources, resulting in economic and fiscal prosperity for the state.

Positive effects of North Dakota’s permitting system include:

• Energy production via fracking and drilling has experienced exponential growth.
• A streamlined permitting system keeps costs and delays low for applicants.
• The state has increased its GDP, median household income, and job opportunities while lowering energy costs statewide.

Read the full report by James Broughel and Ricky Feir on CEI.org: Frack to the Future: North Dakota’s blueprint for permitting success

Read more in the environmental permitting series:

• Laboratories of Bureaucracy
• Michigan
• Hawaii
• Minnesota