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Dear Readers -
The impacts of the thriving energy industry are making news again. There are new studies concerning the safety of roads in the oil patch and the need for more job seekers in both oilfield and non-oilfield positions.
Sincerely,
Barbara Peterson
Writer, Williston Wire
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Gallup Poll - North Dakota Leads the Nation in Job Creation | |
Gallup
More than half of the 10 best job markets in 2010 are energy- and commodity-producing states, indicating how valuable these natural resource-based industries are to the U.S. economy at this time. North Dakota leads the country in job markets. See Entire Story. | |
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City Officials Seek Solutions to Williston's Workforce Needs | |
Williston Economic Development
by Barb Peterson |
Take a trip through Williston and it's easy to see that there are job openings just about everywhere. From movie theaters to mechanics - help is needed. Shawn Wenko, Williston Workforce Development Coordinator says a recent community labor study shows there are about 12,000 job seekers in the area. While that number may seem promising, about two-thirds of those are already employed and more than half of them want a new job with higher pay. "Head hunting is already prevalent amongst businesses. See Entire Story. |
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Oilfield Brings New Jobs to ND | |
Minot Daily News
North Dakota has long been known as an agriculture state, but when the subject of the state's workforce is broached, oil has moved to the forefront in the search for workers. Job Service North Dakota estimates project more than 1,500 newly created job openings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers between 2008 and 2018, an increase of more than 17 percent in the field. With the speed of growth in the state's oilfield activity, that likely means that farmers and agriculture industry truckers will be in high demand, especially once replacement openings are factored in. See Entire Story. | |
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Williston Herald Editorial: High Paying Oilfield Jobs Impact Non-Oilfield Businesses and Their Employees | |
Williston Herald
Editorial
Look at all the businesses in town that are hiring (including here at the newspaper). Many of these jobs are not going to pay close to what an oil patch job will pay, yet they offer needed services. See Entire Story. | |
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Mon-Dak Energy Alliance Meets in Sidney | |
Williston Economic Development | |
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Editorial: Gratitude from Grand Forks | |
Williston Herald
A big Eastern thank you to our warm Western hosts and the good folks who met with us. The western hospitality was outstanding. Our Grand Forks delegation of 32 business leaders visited Stanley, Williston and Tioga the end of June to listen, learn, understand and find business opportunities in the oil patch. We did all that, and more, and we are most appreciative. See Entire Story. | |
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Directors Cut: Rig Count Continues to Climb | |
Grand Forks Herald
 Another month, another set of records in North Dakota's booming Oil Patch. Lynn Helms, director of the state's Department of Mineral Resources, part of the Industrial Commission, released his monthly "Director's Cut," this week with the latest statistics. In May, the 155 or so oil companies drilling and pumping oil in the state's Williston Basin put out 9.189 million barrels of North Dakota sweet crude, the most in one month since the first commercial well was drilled in 1951 near Tioga.
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New Oil Pipeline to be Built in McKenzie County | |
McKenzie County Farmer
Oil is big business in western North Dakota, and the biggest challenge continues to be moving the oil out of North Dakota. Quintana, a Houston, Texas-based company has a proposal that could ultimately help - it is proposing to construct an on-ramp of sorts that would allow oil from North Dakota to connect with the Keystone XL Pipeline, a crude pipeline project currently under development by TransCanada. See Entire Story. | |
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McKenzie County's Taxable Sales Up Over 18 Percent | |
McKenzie County Farmer
 Thanks to continued growth in the energy sector, taxable sales in McKenzie County and Watford City continued to grow at a double digit clip in the first quarter of 2010 according to the figures released by the office of the North Dakota Tax Commissioner. According to the recent report by North Dakota Tax Commissioner Cory Fong, McKenzie County's taxable sales and purchases during the first three months of 2010 totalled $12,153,635, an increase of 18.49 percent compared to $10,256,953 during | |
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Divide County and Crosby Officials Consider Land Use Plan | |
Crosby Journal
 A group of consultants with the Grand Forks firm AE2S want to help Crosby and Divide County help plan for future growth. The consultants said the state may match costs for a land use plan that could help Crosby deal with issues like where to develop new housing. "Part of what we want to do today is listen and learn," said Russ Sorenson, operations manger. See Entire Story. | |
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Crosby Voters Approve New Water Source | |
Crosby Journal
 Only a small number of Crosby voters turned out to cast their ballots for or against a new water supply, but it was a landslide. Voters gave the go ahead, 121 votes to 4, to accept R&T Water Supply of Ray as the new source for Crosby's municipal water service. The water will be delivered via pipeline through Wildrose, which is scheduled to be hooked up to the system before the end of the year. The pipeline will also connect with the BDW pipeline, now in the process of being installed from Fortuna to Columbus. | |
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Editorial: More Downtown Apartments Could Bring More Culture to Willston | |
Williston Herald
Jacob Brooks Editorial
The more I walk, ride or drive in downtown Williston, the more I think about all the opportunities that exist there. One of the biggest is downtown apartments. No, this wasn't my idea. I heard it the first time I was driving around downtown Williston, just last March, with my boss, Mitzi Moe, the publisher of the newspaper. Actually, she wasn't my boss, yet... I was just in town interviewing for the job. See Entire Editorial. | |
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Former Hospital to Become New Apartment Complex in Stanley | |
Williston Herald
 A housing project in Stanley is getting closer to the construction phase. The planning and financing are almost complete for a proposal to convert the former Stanley community hospital into a 17-unit apartment building. Property and Asset Manager Adam Bures with Lutheran Social Services Housing said they are on track to begin construction sometime in August or September. "It'll probably be about a four to six month turnaround time," said Bures. See Entire Story. | |
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Stanley Reaps Benefits of Oil, Stays True to Self | |
ndbusinesswatch.com
Seems change is inevitable - particularly to a small town facing an influx of oil workers, oilrigs and pipelines. Frequently, trucks rumble through town, "man camps" commonly house seasonal workers and the infrastructure feels a burden. Yet folks at Stanley hold steadfast to their way of life. Since farming and livestock has been the mainstay for as long as anyone remembers, they aim to keep it that way. See Entire Story. | |
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Ameri-Tech to Build Temporary Housing in Tioga | |
Tioga Tribune
 Ameri-Tech Industries, the company recently approved to bring temporary workforce housing to Ray, now has the green light to pursue a similar project in Tioga. Ellwood Olson has received the necessary zone change from the city for about 30 acres of land in west Tioga, he will sell the property to Ameri-Tech, a Texas based company specializing in the construction and operation of temporary housing for oil-field workers. See Entire Story. | |
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Study Analyzes Future of Theodore Roosevelt Expressway | |
Williston Herald
 Residents and area leaders discussed the ongoing Theodore Roosevelt Expressway corridor study during a public forum recently in Williston. See Entire Story. | |
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Traffic Numbers Soaring in New Town Area | |
Minot Daily News
Steve Kelly, owner and president of Trustland Oilfield Service at New Town, says he worries about his truck drivers getting in an accident when they travel on N.D. Highways 23 and 8 and other area roads. "I have people out on the road around New Town, Mandaree, Parshall and Stanley every day," said Kelly, whose trucks haul fresh and disposable water, gravel and scoria. He also owns Trustland Consultants, a land brokerage company with five field representatives on the road. See Entire Story. | |
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Highway Issues Arise in Enbridge Expansion in Berthold | |
Minot Daily News
 Berthold-area residents are asking state regulators to consider safety improvements on U.S. Highway 2 before approving a $8.9 million expansion at Enbridge's Berthold Station. The North Dakota Public Service Commission held a hearing in Berthold recently on the Enbridge project. Residents supported the expansion of the plant on the east side of Berthold but voiced a concern about up to 75 trucks a day stopping at a rail crossing on U.S. Highway 2 as they come and go from the facility. See Entire Story. | |
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State Officials Travel to Dunn County to Discuss Oil Impacts | |
Bismarck Tribune
As oil field semi trucks fields roared down Killdeer's Main Street and town leaders worried about how to keep their people safe and make their city grow, state agencies showed up recently to announce that help and a long-term plan are on the way. See Entire Story. | |
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Ward County Shares Effects of Oil Industry with State Officials | |
Minot Daily News
Ward County may contribute only minimally to the state's oil production but it feels the effects of the industry on its housing, roads and other infrastructure, area officials told a delegation of state agency representatives in Minot recently. Ward County spent $100,000 repairing three miles of Ward County Highway 9 just one stretch of road damaged by oil traffic, said Dana Larsen, county engineer. The total impact money coming back to the county from state oil taxes amounted to about $35,000, he said. See Entire Story. | |
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Oil Activity on the Rise in Eastern Montana | |
Sidney Herald
 The Richland County Courthouse has been crowded with landmen researching leases the last few weeks. Commissioner Loren Young said, "We don't know what they're up to. They don't talk to us." See Entire Story. | |
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Continental Resources Increases Investment in the Bakken | |
Sidney Herald
 Despite a slowdown in offshore drilling, activity in the Williston Basin continues to thrive. Companies such as Continental Resources have announced they will increase their investment in the region. See Entire Story. | |
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Editorial: Rockin' the Bakken, Frackin' the Forks | |
gfherald.com
Ralph Kingsbury Editorial
It's a fun time in the oil patch. And what makes it especially so is this: So far, the evidence suggests that what's happening across western North Dakota isn't just a flash in the pan. In fact, to use the language of the trade, the North Dakota oil field is the hottest play in the world right now. No one ever expected anything llike this. See Entire Story. | |
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Upcoming Energy Events |
07/27 & 29 Bakken Rocks CookFests, Tioga & New Town
08/03 Oil Lease Sale, Roughrider Motel, Medora, 9 a.m. MST
08/08-10 Dickinson State University Energy Technology Symposium
09/20-21 Great Plains Energy Corridor Expo and Showcase, Bismarck Civic Center
11/02 Oil Lease Sale, ND State Capitol, House Chambers, 9 a.m. | |
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Upcoming Williston Events |
Now - 08/01 Artists in Residence
Artists from around North Dakota will stay in Lewis & Clark State Park for the week. At the end of the week, they will give a presentation to the public to showcase and talk about their art. For more information, contact the park manager at 859-3071.
07/26 MonDak Jr. Tour
For more information call 572-6500 or go to www.golfateagleridge.com/
07/27 City Commission Meeting
7:30 pm City Hall.
07/30 Upper Missouri Relay For Life
Upper Missouri Relay For Life Cutting Field in Williston, ND Friday July 30th, 2010.
Registration and Free-will donation picnic begin at 5:00pm with opening ceremonies starting at 6:30. The Jump-N-Fun Inflatables will be there, Luminary Ceremony, Silent Auction, Fireworks, Miss Relay Contest and Cake Auction are the main events but there is an event every half hour open to the public.
07/31 Williston Basin Speedway Racing
All classes! For more info, call 774-8008.
07/31 - 08/01 History Alive! with Yellowstone Vic Smith
Watch as he reminisces about his life during the late 19th Century in western ND. Held at the Missouri Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center at 2pm and 4pm. For more info, call 572-9034.
07/31 - 08/01 Mens Rec II West State Volleyball
For more info, contact Williston Parks & Rec at 577-5141. | |
To see a full list of events, please visit the
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