North Dakotans have strongly backed oil drilling in their state, but attempts to drill wells near historic sites—including a ranch once used by Teddy Roosevelt—have sparked enough of an outcry that regulators are considering greater citizen input into how and where companies may operate. Last week, North Dakota’s Industrial Commission, which regulates the oil industry, highlighted 18 areas for possible protection because of their cultural, recreational, scenic or spiritual significance. Within a buffer zone, drilling wouldn’t be banned but be subjected to heightened public and possibly regulatory scrutiny. On Wednesday, a panel studying the issue is set to recommend policies on how to give the public more voice in where drilling is allowed, among other issues. The furor over historical sites was sparked in January 2013 when the Industrial Commission dismissed objections from nearby landowners and Native Americans and approved Hess Corp.’s application to drill wells near the Killdeer […]