Ron Schalow, Fargo

I’m embarrassed to say this, but I think our North Dakota Industrial Commission, PSC, and Legislature have done gotten themselves out-snookered by the liberals governing the lovely state of Texas.

Myron Goforth, president of Dew Point Control LLC, says, “It’s a little like the wild west up in the Bakken, where everybody gets to do what they want to do. In the Eagle Ford (Texas shale play), you’ve got to play by the rules, which forces the oil companies to treat it (crude) differently.” – Reuters.

It seems, and Myron knows, because he leases the equipment, that there are things called oil stabilizers. Stabilizers remove the natural gas liquids in crude oil that cause the oil, when sparked, to explode and kill people. They do this before sending it off by train or pipe, and waving goodbye. Clever. Evidently, Texans don’t want their oil to explode and kill people, which I think is a good quality.

It also turns out, that states can tell oil companies what to do. Our North Dakota government is actually higher in the pecking order than any corporation. Who knew?

When the explosive thing became known years ago, our people failed to warn people down the line, or push for stronger tanker car cars. Now this. It’s downright discouraging. Texans aren’t smarter, are they?

It’s painful to admit, but I want us to be bossy like Texas. And, I’m sure the survivors in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, wish North Dakota was more like Texas, too.