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March 19, 2026
Landmen examining property records at Montana-North Dakota courthouses aren’t usually chatty, but they leave a paper trail beginning at the county clerk’s photocopier.
A Richland County commissioner reports the county clerk earns about $1,000 daily from photocopies, charging 50 cents per page. This has been a lucrative period for the eastern Montana county of 11,000 residents. Property records reveal surface and mineral rights ownership, essential for oil leases. Drilling permit data indicates Montana will issue as many oil and gas permits by March’s end as it did in all of 2025. County Commissioner Loren Young notes this is the busiest the records vault has been in years.
“If you go to the Montana Board of Oil and Gas, there are literally probably hundreds of permits that are trying to be obtained,” Young said on Feb. 26. “The landmen have been here. It’s slowing down now. I think they’ve found every acre they can lease or present to their companies. I don’t go in the vault often, as it’s like a doctor-client confidentiality where they can’t discuss their clients.”
Young’s remarks came before oil prices surged 40% following U.S. and Israeli bombings in Iran, part of Operation Epic Fury. This price hike fuels speculation about the Bakken shale formation’s future and rising fuel concerns.
The West Texas Intermediate price was $65.21 on Feb. 26, jumping to $94.64 by Thursday, hinting at a challenging 2026 election for President Donald Trump’s candidates.
Montana’s congressional delegation remains silent on oil’s rising costs. AAA records regular gasoline at $3.49 in Montana on March 18, up from $2.74 a month prior. Diesel increased from $3.27 to $4.40. The delegation supported the Iran bombing but didn’t respond to questions about oil prices.
Sen. Daines described the bombing as “forceful, focused and limited.” Sheehy termed it “righteous.” Rep. Ryan Zinke estimated a four to six-week military action wrap-up. Rep. Troy Downing told Newsmax the action will be historically favorable.
Rising oil prices, largely due to Strait of Hormuz shipping challenges, could impact elections if fuel costs persistently pinch consumers, says Jeremy Johnson, political science chair at Carroll College.
“Regular voters focus on gas, food prices, and airfares. Opinion polls show independents drifting from Trump on cost-of-living issues,” Johnson noted.
The energy crisis of the 1970s once set the benchmark for oil price impacts on elections. Recent examples include Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which boosted oil prices above $100 per barrel. Trump criticized high gas prices during Biden’s term, dismissing the recent rise as a “little glitch” on March 9.
Energy politics under Trump initially favored oil and coal expansion. A national energy emergency in 2025 accelerated drilling and mining project approvals, including a 74-mile gas pipeline and mining permit expansions for Bull Mountain and Rosebud mines.
The upcoming 645-mile Bridger Pipeline expansion seeks the same emergency status for swift permitting. Bridger Pipeline owners supported More Jobs, Less Government PAC, key in Tim Sheehy’s Senate campaign.
The pipeline aims to deliver Canadian crude to U.S. refineries, reminiscent of the Keystone XL Pipeline. After Keystone failed, Montana’s Republicans posed with its unused pipe. President Biden rescinded the Keystone permit in 2021, but Bridger plans to repurpose some of the pipes for their project.
“The project reflects a significant, meaningful investment in the US energy economy, while creating high-paying jobs during construction and operation and benefiting all landowners, public and private,” states Bridger’s Jan. 28 filing with Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality.
Sonny Capece of the Montana Petroleum Association noted it’s too early to determine if high oil prices will endure. Sustained high prices would be needed to spur Bakken oil production.
“It’s the difference between a scratch-off and hitting a Powerball,” Capece explained regarding price spikes versus sustainable increases driving oil exploration. “Many companies have struggled financially. The goal is a return to normal, not expecting this to last. In six months, prices may return to pre-Iran levels.”
Richland County’s records office buzzed with landmen even pre-war as North Dakota drilling spots filled. Stronger long-term oil prices could further increase interest.
—Tom Lutey
Going to the Chapel
The Montana Republican Party has scheduled one debate for its Western U.S. House District candidates, aiming to replace Rep. Ryan Zinke, who isn’t seeking reelection.
“Voters deserve to hear directly from the candidates on how they will best represent and serve the people of Montana. This debate is an opportunity for each candidate to make their case and show why they should be sent to Washington,” Art Wittich, the state party chair, mentioned in a press release.
The debate is set for April 21 at Calvary Chapel in Bozeman.
MTGOP invited candidates Aaron Flint, Christi Jacobsen, and Al Olszewski. A fourth candidate, Ray Curtis, wasn’t mentioned. Attendance confirmations are pending, according to a spokesman.
Curtis, filing just before the March 4 deadline, said he’s taught government for 40 years and is passionate about the Constitution.
“In a sentence, I’m concerned where we’re headed,” Curtis shared in an email.
—Tom Lutey
Daines explains 11th-hour exit
U.S. Sen Steve Daines is explaining his last-minute exit from Montana’s 2026 U.S. Senate race to avoid another costly contest, referencing his 2020 race against Gov. Steve Bullock as an example.
Speaking at the BlackRock Infrastructure Summit on March 11, Daines offered a comparison, as shown by C-SPAN.
“That was a $210 million race in Montana. Put that in perspective, we have 3 million cows and a million people. God bless our cows. But if you normalize that on a per capita basis like for Texas, that’d be like a $6 billion Senate race in Texas. Then in ’24 Tim Sheehy challenged Jon Tester, a very popular Democrat in Montana, and ended up winning by eight points. That was $310 million. That was a $9 billion race in Texas. I can tell you, Montanans do not want to see another massive escalation, with a bunch of money poured in, your mailbox full, TV airwaves.”
Spending in Texas Senate races doesn’t scale as Daines suggests. Open Secrets states the 2024 U.S. Senate race between Ted Cruz and Colin Allred was the most expensive Texas contest ever at $260.1 million.
—Tom Lutey
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