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North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties
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This semiannual magazine, published in the spring and fall, is the official publication of the ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties. To sign up to receive a copy of the magazine, please click here.
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Uniform County Truck Permit System
This is a county road permit system for over-weight or over-width vehicles on county roads. Since 1986, the NDAOGPC has operated the Uniform County Truck Permit program as a service to counties and the petroleum industry.
For more information or to get permits, click here.
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 Thank you for your interest in the North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties and the western region of North Dakota. As you may have noticed, we've changed the format of our weekly newsletter. We hope that the changes we've made will help us to better provide the accurate, up-to-date information surrounding the energy activities of North Dakota that so many have come to appreciate. Enjoy the latest edition of News From the NDAOGPC!
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Local Governments Need Additional Funding
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KX News' Donnell Preskey recently reported that, "More wells pump in McKenzie County than anywhere in the state. Those wells equal more trucks, more people and more students. But not necessarily more money."  Preskey interviewed two local leaders entrenched in the battle of allowing for energy industry-related growth while dealing with dwindling revenue. McKenzie County Public School District Superintendent Steve Holen, who was recently elected as chair of the NDAOGPC Executive Committee was one of the officials interviewed. Mountrail County Commissioner Greg Boschee, who serves on the NDAOGPC Executive Committee and as a director on the NDACo Board of Directors, was also featured in the news story, which aired Monday, October 14. You can access the news video by clicking this link. |
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Great Plains / EmPower ND Conference Held in Bismarck
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ND Governor Jack Dalrymple opens the Great Plains & EmPower ND Energy Conference in Bismarck.
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North Dakota as an Energy Leader
The 2013 Great Plains & EmPower ND Energy Conference kicked off Tuesday, October 15 at the National Energy Center of Excellence at Bismarck State College. The event brought together policy makers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders for discussions on the hottest issues facing our state and nation's energy sector. North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple, one of the four hosts of the conference, opened the event saying "ND is one of the only states with a multi-resource energy policy". He cited resources like wind, coal, oil, gas, ethanol, and biomass as well as capacities for energy transmission, utilities, and refining as the building blocks of the state's robust energy sector. In August, ND saw its daily oil producing rise by 4% to over 911,000 barrels per day, and by 2015, ND should produce its 3 billionth barrel of oil. The state is also helping the nation on its progress toward passing Russia and even oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia in national oil and gas production. Close to 5% of the oil produced daily in the U.S. comes from North Dakota.
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"We've Got to Get This Right"
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Southern Company's Tom Fanning delivers the opening keynote address.
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Those were the words of opening keynote speaker Thomas Fanning relating to the United States' national energy policy. Fanning is the Chairman, President, and CEO of Southern Company, one of America's largest producers of electricity. He said, "This has to be an American story," and that North Dakota is leading the way for American energy security. Fanning said three things are needed for a successful energy policy: Promotion of a "full portfolio" of energy sources; A national "rebirth" of energy innovation; and The restoration of U.S. financial integrity. As part of a full energy portfolio, Fanning said, "We need 'em all." That portfolio, he said, should include natural gas, nuclear, coal, and renewables like solar and wind. Having diversified sources of energy, coupled with energy efficiency innovations, will help the United States become a net energy exporter by 2020, he said. Fanning also said that the nation should deal with the national debt by solving the spending problem. Tax reform resulting in a simplified tax code will create jobs and reduce the national debt to a level that is manageable.
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Oil Field Innovations
ND Petroleum Council Vice President Kari Cutting moderated a panel of oil and gas industry speakers focused on discussing innovations in the industry. Jeff Cloud, VP of Gas Marketing for Continental Resources, talked about how his company and others in the industry want to sell every bit of hydrocarbon that they can. This includes natural gas. Continental Resources currently flares about 10% of its total gas produced. Cloud said that pad drilling is helpful, especially as it better allows for the natural gas to be collected and transported. A task force was formed recentl y to spearhead the oil and gas industry's efforts to significantly reduce natural gas flaring in the state's Bakken oilfields. Members of the task force will pool the knowledge and experience of companies operating in the Bakken and identify solutions to better optimize the resource at the wellhead and increase and improve existing infrastructure to transport gas for processing elsewhere. The group will also focus on educating the public and working collaboratively across stakeholder groups, including government agencies, the Three Affiliated Tribes, researchers, landowners, and key industry players. For more information on the Flaring Task Force, check out this article from the Williston Herald.  | |
From left to right: ND Petroleum Council VP Kari Cutting, Continental Resources VP of Gas Marketing Jeff Cloud, and Halliburton Clean Stream Product Manager Georgianna Nochowicz.
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Fresh water costs and water recycling savings also motivate companies to find solutions. Georgianna Nochowicz, Product Manager for Halliburton's Clean Stream, told the group that about $51 billion is spend each year by the industry on water costs. In North Dakota's Bakken, it takes about 100,000 barrels of water to complete a well. Halliburton's H2O Forward Service is attempting to curb that amount of water through maximizing reuse and minimizing problems. A paradigm shift in well fluids technology through the reuse of flowback fluid and production water in the hydraulic fracking process will reduce overall environmental impact, Nochowicz said. These frac fluid innovations will help to both substantially reduce the amount of freshwater depleted from water sources and reduce the damage to roads caused by water truck traffic.
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Energy Distribution from the Bakken
The Port of Vancouver in Washington State boasts a deep water bay that moves grain from the Midwest. They want to start moving additional Bakken oil to California and Alaskan markets via ship. Curtis Shuck, Director of Economic Development and Facilities, Port of Vancouver USA, spoke at the energy conference saying that the railroad route from North Dakota to the west coast is the "Great Northern Corridor", much like the route of Lewis and Clark. Shuck said, "freight has no conscience"...it moves by speed and cost.
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Located at the natural transportation hub of the Pacific Northwest on the Columbia/Snake River System, the Port of Vancouver USA is an ideal transfer point for cargoes moving to and from the Pacific Rim and the world. Annually, the port handles more than 500 ocean-going vessels, as well as river barges, with a total cargo volume exceeding 5 million metric tons.
*Image courtesy of Port of Vancouver USA.
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The Port of Vancouver will invest $275 million in 50 miles of additional rail track to accommodate four unit trains of Bakken crude. It's moving through the permitting phase now and the environmental groups have responded with their comments. The ships will take 2.5 days from Vancouver to ports in California. Shuck praised ND Commerce Commissioner Al Anderson for his insightful work. Shuck said, "I feel welcome when I come to North Dakota."
Shuck acknowledged the Ports-to-Plains trade corridor that runs from Texas north to the Canadian provinces and through the heart of the Bakken as another important transportation piece. ND Highway 85 is part of that transportation link moving goods and services into and out of one of the fastest growing parts of the country. Shuck recently attending the Ports-to-Plains Annual Conference in Amarillo, Texas at the invitation of Cal Klewin, Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Association Executive Director.
From Williston to the port is 1,172 miles. Bakken oil will be delivered by train. Bakken crude has also been shipped by boat from Vancouver to the Alaskan Kenai peninsula to be refined in a Tesoro refinery. Tesoro and Savage are partners in the expansion of the port. As Alaskan oil production declines, Bakken oil will be used to supplement their supply.
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TRE Association Seeking Support for Resolution
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 The Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Association (TRE) has recently adopted a resolution to support the North Dakota Department Of Transportation (NDDOT) to proceed with plans to four-lane U.S. Highway 85 between Watford City and Belfield.
Two letters, one from the National Park Service (Theodore Roosevelt National Park) and one from the Badlands Conservation Alliance, have been taken into consideration by the NDDOT to delay this planning. Click here to view a map outlining how U.S. 85 skirts the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
The resolution adopted by the TRE cites safety as a major factor to consider in four-laning the major highway. Accidents and fatalities along Highway 85 have risen substantially in recent years, especially amid the increase in traffic brought on by oil and gas development in the region. The oil and gas industry's labor force is also feeling the strain of the underdeveloped roadway, the resolution states.
The resolution is available by clicking this link and is also available on the TRE website, www.trexpressway.com.
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Energy Development & Transmission Committee Meets
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The Energy Development and Transmission (ED&T) Committee held its second meeting of the interim this week in Bismarck. State officials from the Public Service Commission, State Dept. of Health, ND Pipeline Authority, and Dept. of Mineral Resources gave updates on recent activities and developments. One topic that received a lot of attention from committee members was on the subject of pipelines and the recent oil spill near Tioga, ND. Department of Health Environmental Section Chief Dave Glatt told committee members that the spill was contained, making it less damaging. County emergency managers were notified, he said, as well as local fire departments. There was some concern among legislators that the spill was not initially discovered by the usual inspections assumed to take place on pipelines. Instead, the spill was identified by a local farmer. See the articles below for more information on the pipeline spill. Another agenda item considered by the ED&T Committee was the first reading of a bill draft that would allow a county commission to apply to the NDDOT to have the maintenance of a county road be "permanently or temporarily transferred" to the NDDOT. The bill draft states that if the transfer is temporary, the county would be required to "pay on a yearly basis the cost of maintenance to the state highway fund". If the county were to elect for a permanent transfer, the NDDOT may require the county to pay "all, part, or none of the cost of the maintenance on a permanent or temporary basis". The bill draft, available by clicking this link, heard little discussion from the committee save for the remarks of Dunn County Commissioner Daryl Dukart communicated by Committee Chair Rich Wardner. Dukart expressed concern in a letter to western ND legislators on the committee that the lag time between repair/maintenance need identification and project completion would be detrimental to the oil and gas industry as well as local patrons. Mike Norwatzki with the Dickinson Press featured the bill draft in an October 15, 2013 article. |
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ND Legacy Fund Featured in fedgazette Article
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 Saving for a rainy, oil-free dayState governments take in billions in oil and gas revenue every year. Should they be saving any? North Dakota says yes.To access the full fedgazette article, please click this link.
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North Dakota County Commissioner Attends Shale Energy Retreat
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Dunn County Commissioner Daryl Dukart attended the National Association of Counties (NACO) retreat for shale energy in Santa Fe, New Mexico on October 8-10. Dukart represented the ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties and Dunn County at the retreat, which brought together county leaders from areas deeply involved in shale energy development and those in the early stages of assessing their energy-related opportunities.  | |
Dunn County Commissioner Daryl Dukart.
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The two day working session allowed the group of 37 individuals from thirteen states to evaluate the feasibility of a proposed NACO Energy Resource Center and a Peer Networking Center. These proposed projects would potentially offer energy-developing counties and states reference materials they could use when experiencing energy growth. Dukart presented at a roundtable discussion at the retreat. The focus of his discussion was the Vision West ND Regional Plan currently being worked on in western North Dakota. Dukart provided an overview of the Vision West ND project and led an open discussion on the issues identified through Vision West ND planning. Some of those issues included roads, planning and zoning, land use, emergency management, and the efforts of local governments to handle the influx of development. Several key common, shared ideas came from retreat participants. They include: - The industry likes to work where they have a true plan for directions moving them into the future. - Industry and counties need to be reactive to consistency in policies and regulations. - Reliable and dependable policies are necessary to foster good growth. - Transparency and science-based approaches are key to decision making. - Preservation of historical values, tourism, and heritage values must be considered. - Education and effective communication are essential in creating a positive energy growth culture. Many thanks to Commissioner Dukart for representing Dunn County, the NDAOGPC, and the State of North Dakota at the retreat! |
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Tesoro Pipeline Spill - Latest News
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UPDATED: Tesoro detected anomalies on ND line before leak
Tesoro Logistics LP detected anomalies during an inspection of its 20-year-old North Dakota pipeline just days before the line ruptured and spilled 20,600 barrels of oil onto farmland, the company said on Thursday. For More Information
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Tesoro crews work to recover oil from Tioga spill
Alarm bells went off for Eric Haugstad as the Tesoro official listened to the conference call from San Antonio. Crews burned oil that had pooled in a wheat field following a pipeline leak near here but discovered more oil as they began digging to expose the pipe. For More Information
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North Dakota wants answers on ruptured pipeline inspections
North Dakota officials are trying to determine if Tesoro Corp. knew about potential problems - including one deemed "serious" in documents obtained by The Associated Press - with a pipeline that leaked more than 20,000 barrels of crude oil in a wheat field in the northwestern part of the state. For More Information
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Upcoming Events
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October 21-23, 2013EMS and Fire Protection District Regional Energy Infrastructure and Impact Grant Round Meetings. The list of locations and times can be accessed by clicking this link. Regions around the cities of Belfield, Watford City, and Williston will be the focus of next week's meetings. October 22, 2013The NDAOGPC Executive Committee will hold its October meeting on Tuesday, October 22 at the McKenzie County Public School board room. October 23-24, 2013
The 28th Annual Regional Local Roads Conference will be held October 23-24 at the Ramkota Hotel in Rapid City, SD. The conference gives local road managers an opportunity to learn and share ideas for building and maintaining local roads in challenging economic times. For more information on the conference, click this link. 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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Please take your time to review all materials and links provided for your convenience. We at the ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties 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 Association of Oil & Gas Producing Counties |
400 East Broadway Avenue Suite 304 Bismarck, ND 58501
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Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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