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According to reporting by Jacob Orledge of the ND Monitor, the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands is moving forward with a controversial change to how they notify the public about oil and gas lease auction notices. The plan is to stop publishing this information in local newspapers, effective April 1st.
The decision comes after an interim legislative meeting last Thursday where a motion by Representative don Longmuir to delay the rule change was defeated. Some state officials say that the change will save up to $20,000 annually, but others warn it could leave residents and rural mineral owners in the dark.
The Monitor reports that Land Commissioner Joseph Heringer says the agency focuses on its primary market of oil and gas developers who already utilize digital platforms like Efficient Markets to bid on state-owned minerals.
However, the North Dakota Newspaper Association argued that keeping these notices public serves as a bridge for communities to understand how state resources are being managed. Executive Director Cecile Wehrman noted that a 2024 survey showed 80% of North Dakotans prefer notices to be published by an independent source rather than government-run websites.
As many rural residents and older generations aren’t “tech-savvy,” taking away notices in physical newspapers prevents them from knowing about local activity updates.
Because the notice requirement was part of the agency’s administrative rules rather than state law, the change didn’t require a vote by the full legislature. However, the Newspaper Association indicated to the Monitor that they may ask lawmakers to amend state law next session to force the agency to resume newspaper publications.
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