Revealed: legislators’ pro-pipeline letters ghostwritten by fossil fuel company

Letters by key legislators including North Dakota's governor written by officials of MDU Resources, a subsidiary of WBI Energy

This March, North Dakota's governor, Doug Burgum, sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) emphatically supporting the North Bakken Expansion Project, a 61.9-mile natural gas pipeline that has angered environmentalists and Native American nations alike.

Building pipelines, the 8 March letter stated, ensures the long-term viability of our state's oil and gas industry, preserves the quality of our environment, and allows our state's producers to capitalize on this valuable commodity while supplying markets in need".