Exhibit 99



          MDU Resources studying 9th Circuit Court order


BISMARCK, N.D. - June 1, 2005 - MDU Resources Group, Inc.
(NYSE:MDU) announced that yesterday, the United States Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals granted the request of the Northern Plains
Resource Council and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe for an injunction
that reverses an earlier Federal District Court ruling on an issue
related to coalbed natural gas production in Montana.

According to Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Martin A. White, MDU Resources is currently studying the potential
impacts of the order, including its impact on 2005 earnings.  Based
on its preliminary analysis, the injunction could cause a reduction
in the number of new coalbed natural gas wells that its subsidiary,
Fidelity Exploration & Production Company, has planned to drill in
Montana during 2005 and in the overall coalbed natural gas
production levels previously estimated for 2005.

The case goes back to 2003 where the plaintiffs alleged the Powder
River Basin Oil and Gas Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
and Montana Statewide Oil & Gas EIS are inadequate.  Plaintiffs
also challenge the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision
approving an oil and gas development project and authorizing
coalbed natural gas development in the Powder River Basin.  The
injunction prohibits the BLM from approving any coalbed natural gas
production projects in the Powder River Basin of Montana.
Additionally, the order stops Fidelity from drilling any additional
wells within its Montana Coal Creek Project and from constructing
any infrastructure necessary to produce and transport coalbed
natural gas from Coal Creek's existing wells.

The information in this release includes certain forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained in
this release, including those with respect to the potential effect
of the court action upon the number of wells expected to be
drilled, expected production levels and earnings, as well as
statements by the chairman of the board and chief executive
officer, are expressed in good faith and are believed by the
company to have a reasonable basis. Nonetheless, actual results may
differ materially from the projected results expressed in the
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-
looking statements include: fluctuations in natural gas and crude
oil prices; fluctuations in commodity price basis differentials;
drilling successes in natural gas and oil operations; the ability
to contract for or to secure necessary drilling rig contracts and
to retain employees to drill for and develop reserves; market
demand for, and/or available supplies of, energy products and
services; and the effects on operations of legal proceedings and
extensive environmental laws and regulations. For a discussion of
other important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements,
refer to the Introduction and Item 2 - Management's Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Risk
Factors and Cautionary Statements that May Affect Future Results,
in the company's most recent Form 10-Q.

MDU Resources Group, Inc., a member of the S&P MidCap 400 index,
provides value-added natural resource products and related services
that are essential to energy and transportation infrastructure. MDU
Resources includes natural gas and oil production, construction
materials and mining, domestic and international independent power
production, electric and natural gas utilities, natural gas
pipelines and energy services, and utility services. For more
information about MDU Resources, see the company's Web site at
www.mdu.com or contact the investor relations department at
investor@mduresources.com.


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Contacts:

For analyst inquiries, contact:
Warren Robinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer (701) 222-7991

For media inquiries, contact:
Tim Rasmussen, Public Relations Manager (701) 222-7770