Lobbyist: North Dakota oil poses environmental risks

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., says the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a good argument for extracting oil on land -- specifically North Dakota land.

In an interview yesterday on Morning Edition, Sen. Dorgan said the the massive Bakken oil shale formation that covers a large swath of western North Dakota could produce 10 billion barrels of oil with little effect on the environment.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Brenden Bell, a senior lobbyist for the Union of Concerned Scientists based in Washington. He disagrees with the senator.

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