Looking at the state’s ‘big picture’ response to oil growth

The changes that intense development of oil and gas have brought to western North Dakota have been wide-ranging and significant. Better wages and plenty of jobs have drawn workers to the Oil Patch, boosting the state’s population. And with more people come certain challenges, from providing better roads and more school classrooms to a demand for housing and nearly every other service a community provides.

One of the common themes in the relationship between oil development and local and state government has been the need to catch up. Typically, infrastructure and services lag behind the growing need in the oil-producing counties. It’s a challenge all the way around.

To get a sense of the status of “justice” in the Oil Patch, the State Bar Association of North Dakota has established a task force, which recently held its first public meeting in Bismarck. Additional meetings will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. June 19 at the Stark County Courthouse in Dickinson and 4 to 6 p.m. June 26 at the Williams County Courthouse in Williston.

Concern about crime is certainly prevalent, and the Legislature in its regular session and a special session boosted the number of Highway Patrol troopers dedicated to the western third of the state. But law enforcement and the courts are about more than patrol officers. The higher levels of activity inevitably bubble up to local criminal and civil courts — to clerks of court, probation officers, judges. That increased activity can mean delays.

“An effective, efficient and responsive justice system is as vital a part of the infrastructure necessary to support energy development as roads and utility systems,” said Kristen Pettit Venhuizen, president of the state bar association. We agree. The meetings are set to determine just how that system is operating.

The timing of the task force should mean it will be able to give lawmakers and state officials important information in advance of the next session of the Legislature, setting the stage for a more comprehensive state response.

It’s essential that key services such as those supplied by the courts system and law enforcement have the resources to operate effectively. The same goes for certain social services and other local and state government responsibilities. It’s information-gathering like this by the state bar association that can give legislators the data necessary to determine the right levels of service.

Tags: opinion, editorials, energy