As Donald Trump is considering him for his vice-presidential pick, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum could play a deciding role in allowing a massive carbon dioxide pipeline project – backed by GOP megadonors who have given to Burgum and Trump’s campaigns – to seize property rights from rural landowners in his state.
first reported on Burgum’s financial ties with Continental, and the Associated Press previously reported on the politics of the Summit pipeline debate. Rob Lockwood, a Burgum spokesperson, said that “tens of thousands of families and mineral owners have similar arrangements” to Burgum’s deal with Continental. Another investor in the Summit project, Gary Tharaldson, also gave the pro-Burgum super PAC $1 million last year, making him one of the group’s largest donors.