NORTH DAKOTA ASSOCIATION OF OIL AND GAS PRODUCING COUNTIES
NDAOGPC Newsletter
July 19, 2013 |
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Greetings!
|  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. |
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DMR Director's Cut Released
| Though the average number of days to drill an oil well in ND from spud to total depth is about 22 days, tThe average number of days from drilling rigs reaching total depth to initial production of the well has increased to 92, according to the July 15, 2013 Director's Cut, an oil and gas brief published by ND Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms.
Also included are the preliminary production numbers for the month of May 2013, which show new all-time highs for both oil (810,129 barrels/day) and gas (899,977 MCF/day) production. The preliminary number of producing wells for may are also the highest they've ever been at 8,915.
To view the Director's Cut, please visit the Dept. of Mineral Resources' Oil and Gas Division website at www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/ or click this link.
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School Administrators Learn More about School Funding Options in the Patch
| Officials from schools throughout western North Dakota gathered at the Comfort Inn in Bismarck this week on Wednesday to hear from state officials on how recent action in the legislative session will affect their schools' funding for the next biennium.
The event, sponsored by the NDAOGPC, featured speakers including the state's Deputy Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger and Tax Commissioner's Office Director of Research and Communications Kathy Strombeck. Rauschenberger gave an overview of the revised oil and gas tax system and how bills like HB 1358 changed the percentage of oil and gas Gross Production Tax (GPT) revenue going back to school districts. Strombeck distributed a chart showing the estimated amounts of GPT revenue to be distributed to schools in fiscal year 2014. That chart is available by clicking here. Strombeck was clear to say that the estimates "are not a guarantee", especially since they are dependent on a relatively volatile industry where both decreases and increases in production and revenue are possible.
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State Treasurer Kelly Schmidt gestures as she explains the 5% Gross Production Tax to attendees of the Western ND School District Funding Information Session.
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Jerry Coleman, School Funding Director within the ND Dept. of Public Instruction provided information on the new state school funding model, which distributes money to schools on a per student basis. State Treasurer Kelly Schmidt also gave insight into how GPT revenue will be distributed to schools in the 2013-15 biennium. In years prior, GPT distributions to schools were handled by counties. The state legislature changed the distributor to the Office of the State Treasurer. Schmidt explained that her office is currently working to perfect the computer programs that are responsible for getting the right distributions to all political subdivisions.
Gerry Fisher, the Assistant Director of the Energy Infrastructure and Impact Office, presented on the opportunities available to oil impacted schools in terms of energy impact grants. The State Land Board has dedicated a total of $25 million for the biennium to schools impacted by oil and gas development. $12.5 of that amount will be awarded this year in the EIIO's latest grant round, which closed July 16. Forty school grant round grant applications were received by the EIIO and are expected to be discussed by the K-12 Schools Advisory Committee later this month. The Advisory Committee is made up of western ND school superintendents, a representative of the DPI, and State Land Commissioner Lance Gaebe. McKenzie County Public School District Superintendent Steve Holen, who sits on the Advisory Committee, was featured in a KX News story that focused on impact grants to schools and ran on July 16.
Wrapping up the event was Bill Hourigan, the Housing Incentive Fund (HIF) Program Administrator. Hourigan explained that, according to a survey conducted by the ND Housing Finance Agency, 155 housing units are owned by school districts with an additional 86 housing units needed. He shared how the HIF works and how schools could "get out of the landlord business" through the purchase of existing school district housing units by a private entity. Units sold by a school district, he said, would remain both affordable and available to school employees under the HIF program.
Presentations that were made during the event are now available in the "Links and Resources" section of the NDAOGPC website at www.ndenergy.org. The ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties would like to thank each of the speakers for their time towards sharing information with our membership. Many thanks are also due to the staff of the Comfort Inn for helping to make the event a success.
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5th Annual Bakken Rocks CookFests Feature Food, Fun, and Information
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Alison Ritter, Public Information Specialist for the Dept. of Mineral Resources, shows the extent of oil and gas development within the western part of the state during the Bakken Rocks CookFest in Powers Lake, ND.
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Powers Lake and Parshall played host this week to the 5th Annual Bakken Rocks CookFests, sponsored by the ND Petroleum Council. The events enabled members of the oil and gas industry to showcase their culinary expertise while providing the opportunity for them to share information on just what is happening in the oil patch. Education sessions were held at each location, enabling speakers to explain horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, the status of oil and gas development, and ways oil and natural gas are getting to the market.
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A community member looks at information at the NDAOGPC/Vision West ND information table during the Bakken Rocks CookFest in Powers Lake.
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Educational booths were also featured at each location. Representatives from the Dept. of Mineral Resources, ND Pipeline Authority, Oil and Gas Research Council, ND Housing Finance Agency, ND Energy Forum, and others shared information on everything from how getting oil and gas from shale rock works to how the impacts of that development are being addressed. The ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties and Vision West ND, a western ND regional planning project, also featured information on the services they are providing to people and communities in the west.
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Bakken Rocks CookFest attendees enjoy food and nice weather in Parshall.
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Of course, information was only one aspect of the events, which have come to be recognized as times to indulge in culinary critique. Attendees were able to enjoy the cookery of oil and gas companies like Continental, Enbridge, Hess, Halliburton, MBI, ONEOK, Petro-Hunt, Whiting, Statoil, Nabors Drilling, and several others. After sampling delicacies like jalepeno poppers wrapped in bacon, deep fried oreos, BBQ ribs, smoked brisket, and Cajun jambalaya, community members were able to cast their votes for the People's Choice awards. Looking forward to next year's barbeque!
News coverage:
The Dickinson Press
KX News
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Two New Judgeships Appointed by Governor Dalrymple
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On Monday, July 15, Governor Jack Dalrymple appointed Robin A. Schmidt and Paul W. Jacobson to serve on two newly created district court judge vacancies in North Dakota's Northwest Judicial District. Schmidt and Jacobson are expected to assume their new positions July 31.
"Robin Schmidt and Paul Jacobson are experienced, dedicated attorneys who are highly respected by their peers and I have great confidence they will do an outstanding job serving the citizens of northwest North Dakota," Dalrymple said. "Robin and Paul have strong ties to northwest North Dakota, they have excellent legal skills and they are well prepared to help address the district's increased caseload."
Schmidt, a distinguished graduate of the University of North Dakota School of Law, lives in Watford City where she owns and operates Schmidt Law Firm. Prior to establishing the firm, Schmidt worked for the Vogel Law Firm in Fargo and Bismarck for five years. At the Vogel Law Firm and at her Watford City practice, Schmidt focused on several areas of law including family, criminal, and administrative law. She has served as a law clerk for the North Dakota Supreme Court and her undergraduate degree in Social Work also will serve her well on the bench. Dalrymple appointed Schmidt to the newly created Northwest Judicial District Judgeship No. 11 to be chambered in Watford City
Jacobson, currently a resident of Bismarck and Williston, has served as assistant disciplinary counsel and disciplinary counsel for the North Dakota Supreme Court and Judicial Conduct Commission for 20 years. Prior to serving the Supreme Court, Jacobson was a partner at the Williston law firm of Bjella, Neff, Rathert, Wahl and Eiken, P.C. where he gained extensive litigation experience in state and federal courts. A military veteran, Jacobson served in the U.S. Army's Judge Advocate General's Corps where he served as prosecutor and defense counsel between 1974 and 1979. Jacobson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and earned undergraduate degrees in History and Economics at North Dakota State University. Dalrymple appointed Jacobson to the newly created Northwest Judicial District Judgeship No. 10 which will be chambered in Williston. The Northwest Judicial District serves Burke, Divide, McKenzie, Mountrail, Ward and Williams counties. Currently, the district consists of five judgeships in Minot and two judgeships in Williston. Dalrymple recommended and the 2013 Legislature appropriated funding for two additional judgeships to support the northwest district's increased caseload. The Legislature also created a new judgeship which is yet to be filled for the state's East Central Judicial District.
News Coverage:
KFYR News
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Upcoming Events
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August 22, 2013
Vision West ND Consortium meeting in Bottineau, ND. September 12-14, 2013ND League of Cities Annual Conference in Bismarck, ND. A preliminary agenda and links to register for the conference are available here or by visiting the League of Cities website at www.ndlc.org. 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.October 6-8, 2013Online registration is now open for the ND Association of Counties Annual Conference, scheduled for October 6-8 at the Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck. Visit the NDACo website at www.ndaco.org for more information and to register.
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: $106.39
Brent Crude: $108.30
Natural Gas: $3.64
ND Rig Count: 190
From the ND Petroleum Council's News Clips for July 19, 2013 |
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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,
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Vicky Steiner
Executive Director
Brady Pelton
Deputy Executive Director
ND Assoc. of Oil & Gas Producing Counties
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