According to a Harris Interactive poll of 500 North Dakotans some 66% of citizens of the state support increased access to domestic oil and natural gas resources.

That’s a significant number, and one that would seem to be diametrically opposed to the way North Dakota’s congressional delegation has been voting.

In the House of Representatives North Dakota’s at-large Representative Earl Pomeroy has voted against H.R. 3089 which would have opened up off-shore and arctic oil deposits for exploration.  He voted against H.R. 2279 which would have allowed the conversion of former military bases into oil refineries.  He voted against H.R. 5656 which would have allowed the federal government to buy petroleum from oil shale deposits.  And, most notably, Earl Pomeroy voted in favor of recessing the House instead of debating legislation to allow more domestic drilling in the United States.

In the Senate North Dakota’s own Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad voted against legislation allowing the expansion of domestic oil drilling.  And Byron Dorgan, in the Senate Appropriations Committee, voted against opening up Colorado oil shale deposits for exploration.

So with most North Dakotans squarely in favor increased domestic oil exploration and development, and with the whole state benefiting from increased oil production in North Dakota’s Bakken formation, why are North Dakota’s all-Democrat members of Congress voting against domestic oil?

Who are they representing?  Certainly not North Dakotans.