2016 ND Governor's race: on Energy & Oil

Marvin Nelson: Increase state research on global warming from $5M to $50M

I think if you keep denying global warming, you're guaranteeing that in 15 years, we don't have a coal industry. So, here's my plan. We spent $5 million on research this biennium; and we're going to have to ramp that up. In this coming biennium, we are looking at a $50 million to $100 million commitment into research [on carbon sequestration], because we're going to have to tweak whatever there is to make it work on our plants. If we're going to keep that industry, we have to live in the real world, and we have to work to adapt to the situation.

Wayne Stenehjem: Diversify economy with value-added energy and agriculture

"What we need to do is improve our whole tax climate," Becker said. Becker said rather than provide a wide array of tax incentives the rates should be lower in order to benefit everyone and eschew picking winners and losers.

Stenehjem said the problem with the reliance on oil revenue is the large impact it has on income and sales tax collections. He succinctly outlined a key platform plank his administration would have in solving the problem. "Diversity, diversity and diversity," Stenehjem said: ways to diversify the state's economy is to push for value-added energy and agricultural products as well as grow the state's unmanned aerial systems industry.

Doug Burgum: We are not running out of oil; we have a global surplus

Jack Dalrymple: New safety rule: filter crude oil for dangerous types of gas

The rules come after Dalrymple and other state regulators instituted new rules last fall requiring every barrel of crude be filtered for dangerous types of natural gas. "It's helpful to see these as one part of the overall safety equation," he said. "Still, it's important to see that North Dakota crude is not different from other light, sweet crudes around the country."