BISMARCK – A native of Minot has been named as the next director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources by the N.D. Industrial Commission.

The commission named Nathan Anderson for the position at its meeting on Wednesday.

Anderson succeeds former Director Lynn Helms, who retired on June 30 after 26 years of service. Anderson’s start date will be Sept. 16.

According to N.D. Industrial Commission information, Anderson has worked in the oil and gas industry for 25 years, with roles spanning most petroleum engineering disciplines, as well as regulatory leadership roles in Texas, Ohio and Colorado. He most recently served as PDC Energy’s senior asset director from 2018 to 2023, and continued as a senior advisor after the company was acquired by Chevron in 2023.

“This role is critical for our state as it fosters the continued growth of the industry responsible for over 63% of our state’s revenues. Nathan’s deep background in industry and his strong understanding of the complete life cycle of an oil and gas asset make him exceptionally well-positioned to lead DMR, and we are confident that he will serve our state well,” members of the industrial commission said in a joint statement.

The commission consists of Gov. Doug Burgum as chair, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.

Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University. He has also served on several regulatory committees, including the Texas and the Ohio Oil and Gas Associations. While in Texas, Anderson’s team drilled some of the first U-laterals in the state.

“I am honored to be chosen for this role and am excited to be able to serve the DMR, its employees, the energy industry and the people of the great state of North Dakota,” Anderson said. “I look forward to getting started in the near future.”

In 2005, DMR was formed under the Industrial Commission by merging the Oil and Gas Division and the North Dakota Geological Survey into one department. The Oil and Gas Division was created in 1981 to serve as the regulatory agency tasked with permitting and overseeing oil and gas development. The Geological Survey was created in 1895 and is tasked with mapping North Dakota’s geologic resources and overseeing non-oil and gas mineral development.

In 2018, DMR was also tasked with regulating Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) when North Dakota became the first state to achieve primacy over the Class VI Underground Injection Control Program from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.