Lawmaker: North Dakota needs a time out, so let's scrap daylight saving

Just two states don't observe daylight saving time – Arizona and Hawaii. There's a movement to make North Dakota the third.

A bill put forward by Sen. Dave Oehlke would abolish the practice of spring forward, fall back in the state – as well as making Central Standard Time the official time zone for the whole state.

Currently, an area of southwestern North Dakota covering 11 counties observes Mountain Time – an hour behind CST.

His bill, which was introduced on Tuesday, has the backing of four of his fellow Republican senators.

Speaking to KFGO, Oehlke said making the entire state central time would cut down on confusion for those like him (he works in Dickinson, where it's Mountain Time) who constantly shift time zones.

He also said daylight saving time doesn't make any sense.

"All it does is disrupt people's sleeping patterns for a week or two," he said. "And it really doesn't change when the sun comes up and when the moon shines."

Daylight saving time was first introduced in 1916 by Germany, who'd hoped it would save on energy during World War 1, though Time reports that the country was inspired by a British writer who argued that too many hours of daylight were lost to sleep in the morning – and preferred to have them moved to be enjoyed in the evening.

"Minnesota just needs to take the steps we're taking."

WDAZ reports that response to the plan to scrap daylight savings is mixed, not least on the Minnesota border where business owner Pat Boppre, of the Blue Moose Bar and Grill, said it could affect their business is nearby Minnesotans are observing a different time for six months of the year.

"We would see a change in business hours, people coming in at different times," he told the TV station, which he believes could end up costing him money.

When asked by the Star Tribune about the bizarre circumstances of, for example, Fargo and Moorhead being an hour apart in time, Oehlke quipped: "Minnesota just needs to take the steps we’re taking."

GoMN took a look a few months back at the health impacts of daylight saving time, which you can read here.