Tribes say North Dakota is tampering with mineral royalties

By DAVE KOLPACK
Associated Press

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation is accusing North Dakota officials of tampering with the tribes’ efforts to collect royalties from oil and gas production underneath a riverbed on the Fort Berthold Reservation. The state says the tribes have no legal claim. The latest grievance is part of an ongoing dispute that has seen the rights for minerals exchange hands four times in the last five years. The last turnover was in February when the Biden administration ruled that the royalties belonged to the Three Affiliated Tribes. The U.S. Department of Interior followed up by demanding that energy companies provide a detailed account of royalties and bonuses from mineral production. The state responded with a letter to oil companies dismissing the ruling and title.