The Legislature and the environment: a report card Lawmakers concerned about coal industry, jobs
Brayden Zenker
BISMARCK – As the 2021 Legislature works toward adjournment later this month, what has the assembly’s impact been on the environment of North Dakota?
According to one environmental advocate, that answer may be – not much.
Wade Schafer, conservation organizer for the state chapter of the Sierra Club, said that ever since the Bakken oil boom, environmental issues have not been at the forefront of the Legislature’s agenda.
“From our standpoint … it is very pro-industry,” Schafer said.
He said that before the boom there was a closer balance between development and environmental protection. He said that in response to the oil boom some environmental protections were rolled back while others were not enforced.
Second Amendment bills moving through N.D. Legislature
Brayden Zenker
BISMARCK – North Dakota legislators have introduced a collection of bills this session aimed at preserving gun rights in North Dakota, with some saying they fear new control measures from the Biden Administration.
One measure, HCR 3006, urges the federal government to protect Second Amendment rights. The resolution states any restriction on purchases or possession of firearms or ammunition, including excessive taxes or fees, would violate the U.S. Constitution. Rep. Jeffery Magrum, R-Hazelton, is a sponsor.
“If they do attack the Second Amendment, I think there will be a lot of pushback,” Magrum said. “Not just from the state Legislature but from the people themselves.”
ERA backers hope to save 1975 ratification as effort to declare it void moves to the House
Brayden Zenker
BISMARCK – After defeat in the Senate, supporters of North Dakota’s 1975 ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution plan to continue the fight in the House of Representatives.
SCR 4010 declares that state ratification of the ERA 46 years ago was only valid through 1979, the deadline set by Congress. Ratification by 38 states was required, but only 35 states had approved the amendment by that date.
The Senate vote Feb. 22 was 29-17 for passage of the resolution.
Thomasine Heitkamp, president of ERA NOW, a Facebook group that advocates for the ratification and adoption of the ERA, said they and other advocacy groups plan to lobby House members to reject the resolution.
Self-serving has replaced the common good | News, Sports, Jobs minotdailynews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from minotdailynews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.