Brandon Meidinger, President, on behalf of McIntosh County Farmers Union Board, Fredonia

Last week Lynn Helms, the head of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, shamelessly peddled to the media a contradictory agenda that reeks of corporate greed and disregard for the well-being of farmers, ranchers, and public safety.

Helms’ claim that pumping more CO2 into the atmosphere is somehow necessary to repressurize the Bakken oil formation is a thinly veiled excuse to cater to the insatiable appetites of corporate greed. Worse yet, the calculated timing of his statement, conveniently coinciding with Summit Pipeline’s permit application, is an infuriating attempt to strong-arm public opinion and manipulate regulatory decisions. This blatant maneuver exposes his allegiance to the interests of big oil, underscoring his disregard for democratic processes and private landowners.

Not to be overlooked, billionaire oil baron Harold Hamm has put his hands in the corporate welfare cookie jar. Hamm wrote a $250 million dollar check to Summit Carbon Solutions, a small price tag for pay-to-play scam that will reap billions of taxpayer dollars to corporate executives from private companies.

The hypocrisy and cynicism demonstrated by Helms and Hamm epitomize the arrogance of an industry that has long exploited landowners. Farmers, ranchers, and every individual concerned about public safety deserve better than this blatant pandering to corporate interests. It’s high time we see through these empty gestures and demand accountability from those who prioritize profit margins over the citizens of North Dakota.