State Regulator Discusses Waste Pit Problem

ROSS, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota's top oil regulator says he takes full responsibility for a mix-up that resulted in an oil drilling waste pit potentially threatening a small town's water supply.

State officials shut down the pit in mid-December when Ross Mayor Wyatt Seibel said it was within half a mile of the town's water well.

The Bismarck Tribune reports state Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms attended a Tuesday meeting in Stanley to answer questions about what happened, and said he takes full responsibility for the error. He said he has made sure his field inspectors have correct map information so the situation won't happen again.

Oasis Petroleum is closing the pit permanently and hauling the waste to a landfill. Local officials say they worry damage has already been done.

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