The candidates for North Dakota's public service commission say the state faces crucial decisions with the booming energy development.
But incumbent Republican Kevin Cramer and Democratic-NPL challenger Brad Crabtree are starkly divided on the role that the state's regulatory board should take in the coming years.
Cramer, 49, said keeping up the momentum of development is the biggest issue for the commission. While North Dakota is doing well now, he said other states have similar energy resources that could replace the development here if regulators aren't careful.
"We've become the go-to place for energy development," he said. "While we've enjoyed it, it could be lost."
Crabtree, 41, said the booming energy economy in North Dakota is important for the entire country because it helps reduce the national security risk that comes with dependence on foreign energy.
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But when it comes to energy development, Crabtree said the commission's "missing ingredient" is leadership that will ensure the state honors the environmental legacy of former Gov. Art Link.
"We have a great opportunity as a state to see extraordinary energy development that will benefit all North Dakotans, but we have to do it right," he said.
Joshua Voytek, the Libertarian candidate for public service commissioner, also will be on the Nov. 2 ballot.
The issues
While the state enjoys the lowest residential energy rates in the country, Crabtree said, North Dakotans also are the largest per capita energy users.
"What matters to the consumer at the end of the day is what you pay on your bill, not the rate," he said.
Crabtree said the state needs to establish an energy efficiency policy to give for-profit utilities "some sort of incentive" to account for the loss of revenue they would face if consumers cut down their energy usage.
But Cramer said that argument is "intellectually dishonest" because North Dakota is a "very cold," rural place -- factors that he said will always make the state a big user of energy.
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He said it's impossible to directly compare North Dakota and Minnesota utility bills because just 2 percent of Minnesotans heat their homes with electricity, while about one-third of North Dakotans do so.
"He's got an agenda," Cramer said. "You can't come into a regulatory position like this with such an extreme and ideological agenda that he would bring to the job."
The three spots on the public service commission are now held by Republicans, a fact that Crabtree said isn't necessarily a bad thing. But he said regulators need to set aside their own political views to make the best decisions, and said he's calling for a "nonpartisan" -- not a "bipartisan" -- commission.
"We all have a point of view, but it's the obligation of a regulator, just like a judge, to exercise some discipline and recognize that you have a special role to play that needs to be more independent," he said.
Cramer said it's a moot point because the law "doesn't allow us to continue partisan politics," but instead confines regulators to the evidentiary record. Both candidates lost the nonpartisan claim earlier this year as they picked up the endorsement of their political party, he said.
He said voters will make a decision with long-lasting impacts on Election Day.
"Do you want to continue this prosperity that we're enjoying, or do you want to risk it all with a different style of leadership?" he asked.
Crabtree said he has a "track record" of nonpartisan work in North Dakota, including drafting and building support for renewable energy bills -- bills that earned the support of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.
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"You just can't have those accomplishments if you're perceived as partisan and only representing one side," he said.
Johnson reports on local politics. Reach him at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
