Conservationists Seeking More Money For Outdoor Heritage Funds

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Conservation advocates are resurrecting a proposed ballot initiative that would set aside a bigger slice of North Dakota's mushrooming oil revenues for an outdoor heritage fund.

The Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks Amendment would set aside 5 percent of the state's oil extraction tax, which totaled $880 million last year. The amount has more than quadrupled since 2008.

The Forum newspaper reports that at the 2012 level, the 5-percent set-aside would generate $44 million per year for conservation efforts.

Supporters are still working on proposed ballot language but expect to begin circulating petitions in September to collect the 40,000 signatures needed to place the initiative on the November 2014 ballot.

A similar proposal was derailed last year by a petition fraud scandal.