Chris Olson Candidate for North Dakota Public Service Commission PSC GOP

In this episode of Open Range, host Gary Emineth sits down with Chris Olsen, a Republican candidate challenging for a seat on the North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) in the upcoming June primary. Olsen, a Baldwin resident, is a multifaceted individual — a farmer and rancher across Burleigh, McLean, and Oliver counties, a father of five, and the general foreman of a millwright crew at a coal power plant near Stanton. He holds degrees in natural resource management and rangeland science from NDSU and has worked for the NRCS, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, as well as in coal mining and power generation. His entry into the race was sparked by the Summit CO2 pipeline controversy, which was proposed to run across his land north of Bismarck. Olsen grew concerned about the PSC's handling of the project — from questionable construction specs and frost-line miscalculations to aggressive survey crews trespassing on private land and deceptive landowner outreach tactics. These experiences led him to pay closer attention to PSC proceedings and ultimately decide to run. On data centers, Olsen urges caution. He acknowledges the economic opportunity but stresses that North Dakota must not rush approvals before fully understanding the energy reliability and rate implications — particularly for projects drawing hundreds to over a thousand megawatts. He encourages citizens to engage at the local level through county commissions and township boards, which currently hold primary oversight authority over data centers. Olsen frames himself as a citizen servant — a rate-paying, land-owning, industry-experienced North Dakotan who lives 25 minutes from the Capitol and is ready to bring a well-rounded, grounded perspective to the PSC. #republicanparty #northdakota #publicservicecommission #GOP #Conservative #co2