North dakota faces the Big $$ for Real ID:

North Dakota joins a number of states that have discovered Real ID will be painfully expensive and inconvenient. An AP Article in the Grand Forks Herald by Dale Wetzel says that "David Sprynczynatyk told the Legislature's interim Transportation Committee on Tuesday that he will seek federal aid to help defray the cost of complying with the "Real ID" law, which takes effect in 2008." And "Complying with a new federal identification law will cost North Dakota about $6 million and require drivers to bring more paperwork to renew their licenses, the state transportation director says."
The article also complains that the new system cannot be implemented in time for the deadline in 2008. Well: we knew that, didn't we? When is the DHS going to finish specifying what states must implement to comply?