North Dakota Supreme Court strikes key portions of ‘pore-space’ law

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s Supreme Court has struck down key portions of a state law that a landowners group says was unconstitutional. The so-called pore space law passed the 2019 Legislature over the use of voids or cavities in underground rock formations. Pore spaces are used when the petroleum industry injects saltwater from oil and gas production underground for storage or for enhanced oil recovery. Landowners sued the state arguing the law deprives them of their right to be compensated for the use of their pore space. A state district judge last year ruled the law unconstitutional. Justices largely agreed.