Industrial Commission delays decision on hiring next North Dakota oil regulator

Nathan Anderson, right, interviews for director of North Dakota's Department of Mineral Resources July 30, 2024, in Bismarck. He's seated next to North Dakota Industrial Commission Deputy Executive Director Reice Haase and speaking to Attorney General Drew Wrigley. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)

The Industrial Commission held off on picking North Dakota’s next top oil regulator for another week to 10 days after public interviews of both finalists.

“I feel like we’ve got two strong candidates here that are very different, one who’s got a lot of experience on the regulation side, the other one’s got great experience on the private sector side,” Gov. Doug Burgum said at the Tuesday afternoon hearing. “I think what’s missing for me is not ‘Do we have strong candidates?’ It’s, ‘What are the exact needs of the agency right now?’”

The commission hasn’t yet announced a firm date for when it will make its final decision. 

The Industrial Commission seeks a successor for Lynn Helms, who served as director of Mineral Resources for nearly 20 years.

In all, 16 people applied for the director position. The search committee spoke with five semi finalists before advancing Nathan Anderson and Kevin Connors to the final round of interviews. Only the names of finalists are public under North Dakota law.

Anderson, a Colorado resident, has about 25 years of industry experience working across states including North Dakota, Texas, Ohio and Michigan.

He works for Chevron in Colorado and owns a company called 3B Investments. 

The Minot native earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from North Dakota State University.

He said previous employees have described him as a fair, empathetic, trusting and empowering leader.

Connors, meanwhile, works for the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center. He has previous experience at the Department of Mineral Resources, spending eight of those years in the Oil and Gas Division. 

Connors said that his prior history working for the state means he already has partnerships with North Dakota oil and gas regulators and other state agencies.

The Bismarck resident’s current role at the EERC is assistant director for regulatory compliance and energy policy. He works extensively with carbon capture. 

He earned his bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Montana.

Connors described his leadership style as “shepherd”-like.

“I come from a culture at the EERC where we are laser-focused on employee development and leadership,” he said.

In both interviews, members of the Industrial Commission made it clear they want a director that can carry on Helms’ legacy. 

“He’s been in the role for so long, he kind of defines what it is,” Burgum said while interviewing Anderson. “How does this mission of this particular role resonate with you?”

Anderson said he would strive to keep North Dakota a pro-business, pro-energy state.

“One hundred percent, North Dakota will have a seat at the energy table — and a front row seat at that,” Anderson said.

Connors, who worked with Helms, said he considers the former director a mentor and friend.

“I saw the way Lynn had to switch gears throughout the day,” Connors said. “I really worked hard to try to position myself to be able to have that skill set.”

During the meeting, the commission also approved an agreement to continue working with Helms on a contract basis until the next director starts.

Helms will advise the agency on technical cases and help prepare for new leadership, said Reice Haase, deputy executive director for the Industrial Commission.

After postponing the vote to pick a new director, Burgum noted he wished that the state would consider adding a new position to the Department of Mineral Resources so that the agency could hire both candidates.

“Man, why wouldn’t we get both these guys going?” Burgum said. “There’s only one role on paper. We can’t fix that necessarily now without a change in legislation, but I’m almost ready to ask the Industrial Commission, as another project, let’s think about what drafting that would be like.”

The Industrial Commission is comprised of Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. The Department of Mineral Resources serves as the oil and gas industry regulator in North Dakota, the nation’s No. 3 oil producing state.