A group calling itself “North Dakotansfor Clean Water, Lands and Outdoor Heritage” has filed signatures to put a Constitutional amendment on the November ballot
The measure would set aside five percent of oil tax collections into a fund for land, water and wildlife conservation in North Dakota. But as Prairie Public’s Dave Thompson reports, the measure has its detractors.
Jesse Bckers of Valley City is a member of the sponsoring committee. He works for Pheasants Forever.
“Clean water, lands and heritage – it says it right there in the title, to secure our clean places in North Dakota,” said Beckers.
The amendment would establish a nine-member citizens’ board to oversee the distribution of the fund.
"“We think this is a reasonable and prudent investment in our land and our water, which is really a foundation of our state," said Steve Adair of Ducks Unlimited, who chaired the steering committee. "And we think that it will help to insure that we have a quality environment moving forward.”
Dr. Tom Hutchens is a Bismarck physician who got involved in the effort to collect the signatures the group needs.
"“From the time I heard about the Outdoor Heritage Amendment, I’ve been just terribly excited about it, because it actually gives us a way to mitigate some of the changes that are occurring now," said Hutchens. "And a fixed, citizen-driven strategy for having dollars every year, and significant dollars every year for the things that make North Dakota great. It’s the reason I live here.”
Opponents of the measure call it “unprecedented.”
“It takes money right out of the hands of taxpayers with absolutely no accountability,” said North Dakota Chamber of Commerce president Andy Peterson, who chairs the People First North Dakota coalition. “You have a nine-member board. Those members can serve up to nine years. And they can make decisions on the broad language of the measure, and can choose to spend money as they will, with absolutely no responsibility to Legislature, the Governor or the taxpayer, on how those monies are spent.”
Peterson says the Coalition believes there are other needs to be met from that money, such as roads, bridges, schools and other infrastructure projects.
If and when the measure is okayed for the ballot by the Secretary of State, both sides plan public education campaigns.
