GOP candidate suggests drilling for oil in Teddy Roosevelt National Park

Former President Theodore Roosevelt was known for protecting national lands and helping to establish the country’s national park system.

So in perhaps an ironic twist, Rick Berg, the Republican challenger to Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.), has suggested that one possible solution to the long-term solvency of the Social Security program is drilling for oil underneath North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park and other federal lands.

{mosads}“There’s a huge opportunity right now to take those mineral assets that are on the federal government’s balance sheet and shift them to Social Security,” Berg told the editorial board of the Fargo (N.D.) Forum Wednesday, as quoted by the newspaper.

Drilling on federal lands would amount to “billions of dollars” from North Dakota resources alone, Berg said. Drilling is banned in national parks with a few exceptions — Theodore Roosevelt National Park is not one of them.

But Berg told the newspaper, “I think they could do horizontal drilling there, yes.”

Berg campaign spokesman Tom Nelson clarified Friday that the candidate was not talking about drilling inside the national park.

“He never said we’re going to put rigs up in a park; that’s just ridiculous,” Nelson told The Hill. “If there’s technology that would allow you to horizontally drill and it wouldn’t affect anything in the park, that would be something to talk about.”

Horizontal drilling could allow the drilling equipment to be outside of the park area.

Nelson added, “There’s massive amounts of federal land out there that could be utilized and take resources in and help Social Security.”

As for Pomeroy, the newspaper quoted him as calling Berg’s idea “deeply flawed in several respects.”

Pomeroy — who favors drilling in North Dakota grasslands and on some untapped federal lands — called any drilling involving Theodore Roosevelt National Park “a stunningly bad idea.”

Berg recently widened his lead over Pomeroy for control of the state’s lone House seat. Pomeroy is a GOP target this cycle and his seat is considered vulnerable.

Berg led 53 percent to 44 percent in a Rasmussen Reports survey conducted Aug. 10-11. He was only ahead by 3 points in a poll conducted in July.