NORTH DAKOTA ASSOCIATION OF OIL AND GAS PRODUCING COUNTIES
NDAOGPC Newsletter
June 2, 2013
In This Issue
Article 1 - Regional County Representatives to Meet
Article 2 - State Land Board Considers Energy Impact Grant Round Proposals
Article 3 - Industrial Commission Approves Oil & Gas Research Project
Article 4 - Work Continues with State's Housing Incentive Fund
Article 5 - Upcoming Events
Article 6 - Oil and Gas Stats
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links
Find us on Facebook
Greetings!
Derrick well
The North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties (NDAOGPC) is the trusted and unified voice for the betterment of the citizens of North Dakota and the membership of the North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties. Through this newsletter we strive to provide accurate, up-to-date information surrounding the energy activities throughout the North Dakota energy producing counties.
Regional County Representatives to Meet

Regional representatives from across the state will soon meet together with NDDOT officials in Bismarck to discuss county road issues, coordinate road projects, and better understand the requirements to qualify for state-provided county road funds.

 

This meeting has been scheduled for June 12, 2013 from 11am to 3pm CT at the NDACo Building Bismarck. The NDACo is located at 1661 Capitol Way, Bismarck, ND.

 

The following are the Regions and NDAOGPC Member Counties associated with those Regions:

 

North Oil Region - Bottineau, Burke, Divide, McHenry, McLean, Mountrail, Renville, Ward, & Williams

Representatives - Dennis Nelson (Williams) and Al Ryberg (Burke) 

 

South Oil Region - Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, McKenzie, Mercer, Slope, & Stark

Representatives - Al Heiser (Stark) and Ron Anderson (McKenzie) 


SW Central Region - Adams, Burleigh, Grant, Hettinger, Oliver, Morton, Sheridan, & Sioux
Representative - Mike Aubol (Morton)

Many thanks to these Regional Representatives for their time and dedication toward county road improvement! 
State Land Board Considers Energy Impact Ground Round Proposals
The State Board of University and School Lands (State Land Board) met this week, May 30, 2013 to discuss agenda items directly related to support for western North Dakota. The State Land Board is the overseeing body of the Oil and Gas Impact Grant Program and makes allocations from the Oil and Gas Impact Grant Fund to political subdivisions within oil country that have needs arising as a direct result of oil and gas development.

The City of Belfield was first awarded $18,977 from the remaining $224,808 of the energy impact grant fund's contingency fund. The contingency fund has been used by the Land Board in the past to fund such grant requests as temporary classrooms, childcare facilities, and the replacement of a fire truck engine. The City of Belfield sought assistance for the replacement of a police vehicle lost in an electrical fire. Replacement was estimated to cost $43,737, with some expected to be recovered from insurance. The Land Board approved the request unanimously.

Housing Development
Cities experiencing new housing developments due to oil and gas industry activity are prime candidates to receive energy impact grant dollars for infrastructure expansion and development.
Also on the agenda was the review of 2013 legislation relevant to the Land Board, including specific biennial allocations of energy impact grant funds to airports ($60 million), higher education ($4 million), dust control pilot studies in three counties ($1 million each to Bowman, Dunn, and Mountrail counties), county sheriff's departments ($7 million), EMS entities ($7 million), fire protection districts ($3.5 million), and hub cities ($2 million to Williston, $7 million to Dickinson, and $5 million to Minot). Also allocated by the legislature was a $5 million pot available to counties experiencing new oil and gas development, though if the amount is not used it may be utilized for other energy impact projects.

Most of the remaining $136.5 million (of the $240 million total in the Oil and Gas Impact Grant Fund) has largely been divided up between schools/K-12 education, city infrastructure, emergency services, and "open" grant rounds. The Land Board approved these preliminary allocations as part of the grant round schedule recommended by State Land Commissioner Lance Gaebe, which is below:
Land Board Schedule for Allocation 2013-2015
Industrial Commission Approves Oil & Gas Research Project
Also meeting this week on May 28 was the ND Industrial Commission, made up of Governor Dalrymple, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. Among the Commission's many agenda items was a research program grant funding request from the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC). The request was heard last week by the Oil and Gas Research Council, which recommended funding of the request to the Industrial Commission.

The overall goal of the approved research program is to maximize oil production from the Bakken and Three Forks formation wells through advanced reservoir characterization, improved drilling/stimulation/completion/production techniques, and optimizing well site surface operations. Total cost of the program is $115,230,000, with $8 million being awarded in grant funding from the Industrial Commission and Oil and Gas Research Council.

For more information, check out the Bismarck Tribune news story here or the KFYR-TV news report here.

Also featured in the Bismarck Tribune on May 30 was an editorial on the topic of state investment in oil and gas research.
Work Continues with State's Housing Incentive Fund
The ND Industrial Commission also approved the biennial allocation plan for the state's Housing Incentive Fund (HIF) at its meeting Tuesday, May 28, 2013. Approval of the plan now allows the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency (NDHFA) to accept applications from multifamily housing developers and contributions from taxpayers.

HIF Print Ready Graphic "One of our growing state's greatest challenges is keeping pace with its housing needs. HIF has proven to be a valuable tool in addressing this challenge and we are pleased that the state legislature agreed, granting NDHFA continued authority to offer a source of funding to developers of affordable rental units," commission members said in a joint statement.

 

The 2013 Legislature reauthorized the fund at $35.4 million and established program priorities of providing affordable housing for essential service workers in energy-impacted counties and preserving and providing for the needs of low- to moderate-income households statewide.

 

"To ensure western North Dakota communities are able to recruit and retain law enforcement personnel, teachers and long-term care workers, HIF applicants that set-aside units for these and other essential service workers will receive a scoring preference," said Mike Anderson, NDHFA executive director.

 

The allocation plan is available online at www.ndhousingincentivefund.org or www.ndhfa.org.

 

Applications for the first funding round must be submitted by 5 pm CT on Friday, June 28, to Planning and Housing Development Division Director Jolene Kline at NDHFA, PO Box 1535, Bismarck, ND, 58502-1535.

 

A minimum of 25% of the HIF dollars in each scoring round must be used to help developing communities with a population of not more than 20,000 individuals address unmet housing needs or alleviate housing shortages.

 

HIF received a $15.4 million general fund appropriation from the state. The balance of the fund will continue to rely on taxpayer contributions. Individuals and businesses that contribute to the fund will receive a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit. Contributions can be directed to a specific project or community. NDHFA is authorized to issue tax credit certificates to contributors on a first-come, first-served basis up to a maximum $20 million.

 

More than 600 taxpayers contributed $15 million to the fund during 2011 and 2012 providing enough capital to support 24 housing projects.

 

For more information on the Housing Incentive Fund, call (701) 328-8080, (800) 292-8621, (800)366-6888 (TTY) or email [email protected]

Upcoming Events
June 4-5, 2013
CI Energy Group's Forum on Workforce Accommodation, Housing and Infrastructure for the Bakken is fast approaching. The forum, being held June 4-5 in Bismarck, ND, will equip attendees with the practical information they need to ensure organizations are prepared to address the critical housing and logistics challenges the region is facing. This first of its kind event will allow organizations to engage with top industry experts and leading government figures and gain key insights and strategies on a rapidly changing area of North Dakota. Join us on June 4-5th in Bismarck, ND. Register today by calling 1-877-927-7936 or book online at www.workforcebakken.com/ndaogpc.

June 12, 2013

Western county commissioners and road superintendents are also invited to hear a presentation from ND State Health Dept. staffer Dave Glatt along with Frances Schwindt, western county dust study project director, and Gerry Fisher with the ND Energy Infrastructure and Impact Office. They will meet at the Outlaws Ballroom in Watford City, ND on June 12, 2013. The group will meet from 10am to noon and discuss dust control options for county gravel roads, including state-approved select saltwater brine from specific wells, and state funding programs.Please have your county and road staff represented at this meeting. 

 

June 12, 2013
As noted above, the NDDOT Regional Representatives Meeting will take place June 12, 2013 from 11am to 3pm CDT at the NDACo Building in Bismarck, ND.

June 13, 2013
The next Vision West ND Consortium meeting will be held Thursday, June 13, 2013 at the ND Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora, ND. Though a time has not yet been set, please look forward to more details as they become available.

June 14, 2013
The NDAOGPC 2013-2014 Budgetary Meeting will take place Friday, June 14, 2013 at the Harold Schafer Center in Medora. The meeting is set to begin at 3:00pm MDT in the Harold Schafer board room.

July 16 and 18, 2013
The North Dakota Petroleum Council is again hosting its 5th Annual Bakken Rocks CookFest this year on July 16 in Powers Lake and July 18 in Parshall. CookFest is a community outreach event that is held in two communities impacted by oil and gas development and is an opportunity for the industry to give back while residents learn more about the industry and the companies operating in their area. CookFest includes a Bakken Basics Education session from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm and live entertainment and BBQ served by industry CookTeams begins at 5:00 pm (CDT).

September 16-18, 2013
The ND Petroleum Council will hold its annual meeting September 16-18, 2013 in Grand Forks, ND. The meeting will be held in the Alerus Center. More information can be found by visiting the ND Petroleum Council website at www.ndoil.org.

September 26, 2013
Be sure to mark your calendars for the
NDAOGPC
2013 Annual Meeting set for Thursday, September 26, 2013 at the Ramada Grand Dakota in Dickinson, ND.

May 20-22, 2014 
The 22nd Annual Williston Basin Petroleum Conference will be held May 20-22, 2014 at the Bismarck Civic Center in Bismarck, ND. There have already been over 200 hotel rooms reserved for this conference. We recommend booking the hotel rooms that you need now. Conference registration opens on January 29, 2014.
Oil and Gas Stats

WTI Crude: $93.64 ND Petroleum Council Logo

Brent Crude: $102.15

Natural Gas: $4.04

ND Rig Count: 187

 

From the ND Petroleum Council's News Clips for May 31, 2013
Please take your time to review all materials and links provided for your convenience.  We will continue to provide you up-to-date information on upcoming events and news happening in North Dakota's oil and gas producing counties!

 

Sincerely,

 

Vicky Steiner
Executive Director

Brady Pelton
Deputy Executive Director

ND Assoc. of Oil & Gas Producing Counties