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Dust Control Options Discussed
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About 30 county commissioners and road superintendents discussed dust control product ideas Wednesday in Watford City. Francis Schwindt, Dave Glatt, and Gerry Fisher spoke about dust control studies, oil field brine regulations, and $1 million dollar grants for Bowman, Dunn, and Mountrail counties.
Frances Schwindt tested several products last summer in an effort to find the most cost effective way to stop dust from impacting traffic safety and agriculture. He shared the gravel specifications used in Mountrail County, which requires some faced gravel so that it doesn't roll as easily.
The study results show "that dust control is a process, not a product", Schwindt told the group. If the base of a road is in poor shape, often times the dust products don't do well either. Magnesium chloride product works well but in really dry conditions and heavy truck traffic, water needs to be applied to keep it activated.
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ND Dept. of Health's Environmental Health Section Chief Dave Glatt, pictured left, visits with KFYR Radio host Steve Bakken on the health issues associated with dust control methods.
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Dave Glatt said the state will collaborate with the counties as a group to get some brines tested and approved for specific use keeping the bookwork to a minimum. Some saltwater brines contain calcium chloride to draw moisture from the air and keep the dust from generating. Dave Glatt said, "We want to minimize the particulate matter (dust) in the atmosphere." He added that their department would like to identify three wells per county that meet state's specifications for road use and allow them to be used in addition to commercial products as prescribed by application. Saltwater brine is an oilfield waste product and it's illegal to dump the product on the roads or in the ditches unless it's been certified by the state. Glatt said, "We need to know who is doing it right and who's not." And that's the reason for county and state oversight. Glatt said he would ask that the brine not be applied to surface over bridges, also because of impact to water below the bridge.
In 2014, there will be up to another $3 million available for dust control following the three-county pilot projects.
Counties represented at the meeting included Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Divide, Dunn, Golden Valley, and McKenzie Counties. Marc Williams from Century Companies, an associate member of the NDAOGPC, also attended the event. To access the Dickinson Press article on the event, please click here. To view presentations presented by Schwindt and Glatt, please check out the NDAOGPC website links and resources section at http://www.ndenergy.org/Resources.aspx.
Thanks for your participation. Together, we'll get there from here.
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Vision West ND Consortium Meeting Held
|  The ND Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora, ND played host to the June 13, 2013 meeting of the Vision West ND Consortium this week. Among the several agenda items was a presentation from Alfonso Wenker and Maggie Arzdorf-Schubbe of the Bush Foundation. The two provided information on the Foundation's new Community Innovation grant programs that are centered on inspiring and enabling communities to create innovative solutions to the challenges they face. Applications for these programs are now open, providing an opportunity for organizations to be awarded funding of up to $500,000. More information on the Bush Foundation's Community Innovation grant programs are available at www.BushFoundation.org/CommunityInnovation.
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Gregg Greenquist, with SRF Consulting, speaks to the Vision West ND Consortium about an upcoming webinar that will focus on enforcement of planning and zoning ordinances. Though the date has not yet been set, the webinar will provide an opportunity for viewers to email questions they may have to members of the webinar panel.
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Vision West ND Consortium members also had the opportunity to break off into a small group session in which each of the top five western ND issues were discussed. Those top five issues include housing, child care, transportation/roads, emergency services, and water. Small group members first defined each issue itself and then defined the problem associated with that issue. Finally, Consortium members brainstormed what potential solutions might look like, creating a starting point for forming a "vision for the future" within the Vision West ND Regional Plan.
As work toward that Regional Plan continues, the NDAOGPC will continue to provide updates on its progress. The next Vision West ND Consortium meeting is scheduled for July 18, 2013 at the RTC Building in Parshall, ND. Potential agenda items may include further work on each of the top five western ND issues. Informative speakers having deeper knowledge of those issues may be asked to join the Consortium and have their expertise folded in to the Regional Plan as well.
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Regional County Road Representatives Discuss Road Funding Plans
| ND Dept. of Transportation Director Grant Levi opened a meeting of regional county road representatives in Bismarck this week, June 12, by saying that people traveling throughout the state can expect to see a lot of construction during the state's construction season. As a result of state legislation like Senate Bill 2176 and House Bill 1358, over $2 billion will be spent over the next biennium on state and county road projects. The record amount of funding available for construction presents its own issues, namely on how to make sure that the money is spent in a coordinated and accountable fashion.
Of importance to North Dakota's oil producing counties, HB 1358 set forth a total of $280 million for use towards county road projects. During the meeting, the criteria for qualifying for those funds was explained and methods of funding distribution were discussed. As distinguished in HB 1358, oil producing counties are defined as those counties receiving more than $5 million in Oil and Gas Gross Production Tax (GPT) revenue. Those nine counties include Billings, Bowman, Burke, Divide, Dunn, McKenzie, Mountrail, Stark, and Williams counties. According to the statute, the $160 million available to those counties is to be distributed based on the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute needs analysis completed in 2012.
For the 44 non-oil producing counties (or those receiving less than $5 million in GPT revenue), the $120 million allocated in HB 1358 is to be distribution based on County Major Collector road mileage and is available February 1, 2014.
At this point, the next step for the NDDOT in making sure the information on distribution is provided to every county in the state will be conducting regional meetings. Based on the dates supplied by counties in each region to the NDDOT, the dates provided below are a best fit schedule to match the majority of those that responded. If you are unable to attend the meeting on the specified date for your region, feel free to attend another regional meeting. The regional meetings will be from 11 am to 3 pm CT for all of the meetings. Lunch will either be provided by the host county or lunch will be ordered in for a cost/person. Upcoming Regional Meetings
Central Dakota Region & SW Central Region - Emmons, Foster, Kidder, Logan, McIntosh, Wells, Adams, Burleigh, Grant, Hettinger, Oliver, Morton, Sheridan, & Sioux June 17th - Mandan
Host: Morton County - Morton County Highway Dept. at 2916 37thSt NW, Mandan ND.
Take Exit 152 and north to stoplight, west on Old Red Trail 1.2 miles, west on 37th St. (0.25 mile to west driveway (paved) of Morton County Shop).
South Oil Region - Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, McKenzie, Mercer, Slope, & Stark June 18th - Dickinson Host: Stark County - Stark County Shop
North Oil Region - Bottineau, Burke, Divide, McHenry, McLean, Mountrail, Renville, Ward, & Williams June 21st - Stanley Host: Mountrail County - Mountrail County Shop NE Region - Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Nelson, Pierce, Pembina, Ramsey, Rolette, Towner, & Walsh July 1st - Devils Lake Host: Ramsey County - Ramsey County Courthouse SE Region & East Central Region - Dickey, LaMoure, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Barnes, Cass, Grand Forks, Griggs, Steele, Stutsman, & Traill July 2nd - West Fargo Host: Cass County - Cass County Highway Dept office at 1201 West Main Ave., West Fargo (south side of Main Ave., east of Bonanzaville).
Please let Bryon Fuchs with the NDDOT know how many will be attending from each county so he can pass that information along to the host county for lunch. He can be reached at 701-328-2516 or at blfuchs@nd.gov. |
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Teacher Education Seminar Provides Information on Oil and Gas Industry
| The North Dakota Petroleum Council hosted its annual teacher education seminar this week, featuring educational courses, oil well site tours, and the opportunity for teachers from across the state to learn more about North Dakota's burgeoning oil and gas industry. The four-day session was held June 10-13.
For more information, please check out the KXNews story or the Forum News report.
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Upcoming Events
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July 16 and 18, 2013
The North Dakota Petroleum Coun cil 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, 2013The 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. Registration is set to open Tuesday, June 25. 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.
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Oil and Gas Stats
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WTI Crude: $97.08
Brent Crude: $104.25
Natural Gas: $3.80
ND Rig Count: 184
From the ND Petroleum Council's News Clips for June 14, 2013
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