Heitkamp Flip-Flops On Local Energy Regulation

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Written By:
Rob Port

Jul 13, 2012
7:49am

Liberal Senate candidate Heidi Heitkamp is sending some mixed messages on her preferences for energy regulation. During a recent campaign trip into western North Dakota Heitkamp send a different message on energy policy than we’re used to getting from her party, the Democrat congressional leadership she’ll support and the President she’s said she’ll vote for.

According to Heitkamp’s party, we need centralized federal regulation of energy production issues like hydraulic fracturing. But here in North Dakota, Heitkamp is calling for local control. “I’m challenging anyone who would want to put one size fits all on hydraulic fracking,” she said recently. “I’m challenging them to the test I think people really don’t understand the geology of North Dakota. They don’t understand that every structure is different and this is a local issue should be controlled locally and should be regulated locally and so I will fight and resist any efforts for a national fracking standard.”

Those words certainly sound convincing. Obviously, these are the sort of things Heitkamp has to say if she wants to get elected in North Dakota. The problem, of course, is that these words don’t really jibe with other things Heitkamp has said about energy regulation.

In the past Heitkamp has called for a “national energy policy.” But what is a “national energy policy” if not more federal energy regulations? More federal energy decisions made in Washington DC and not North Dakota?

You cannot say that you’re both for local decisions on energy issues and a national energy policy. These are mutually exclusive positions. Heitkamp isn’t shooting straight on one of these. Either she doesn’t really want a national energy policy, which seems unlikely given her party’s preferences, or she isn’t really in favor of local regulation.