NDAOGPC
North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties
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Basin Bits Magazine

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.

To read the latest Basin Bits edition via PDF, click this link.  
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.

For the latest information on County Road Restrictions, click this link.
November 27, 2013
 

Question before Thanksgiving:

 

Why did the turkey eat his meal so quickly? 

 

Because he was a gobbler.

 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday and your time with family and friends!
Save the Date!
The 2014 Annual Meeting of the ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties has been set for Thursday, September 18, 2014 at the Grand Hotel in Williston, ND.

Lynn Helms
Lynn Helms, Director of the ND Dept. of Mineral Resources
We are excited to present a variety of speakers at next year's annual event. ND Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms has been invited to share updates on oil and gas activity throughout the state.

Loren Scott
Dr. Loren C. Scott
We've also invited Dr. Loren C. Scott to present to the group. Dr. Scott is a national renowned economist who will give global perspective on how the Bakken fits within the world energy market. Scott was on the Economics Department faculty at Louisiana State University from 1969 to 1998, where he rose through the ranks from Assistant Professor to the holder of the Freeport-McMoran endowed Chair of Economics. He is presently Professor Emeritus of Economics at LSU. Governor Jack Dalrymple has also been invited to speak during the noon luncheon.

During scheduled breaks, we look forward to hosting an exhibitor's showcase that may provide membership with valuable opportunities as well.

Information on hotel room blocks, the registration process, and sponsorship opportunities will be shared as we get closer to the event.

Be sure to mark your calendars for next year's annual meeting!
Regional EMS Issue Discussed
McKenzie County Commissioner Ron Anderson, Vicky Steiner, and Brady Pelton met with McKenzie County ambulance leader Kerry Krikava and two board members to discuss the strain on their EMS service due to energy industry growth. They also discussed possible energy impact grants to assist their ambulance service. At the informal meeting Tuesday night in Watford City, Krikava said one of their issues is the strain that transfer rides from the area to the hospitals in Minot and Bismarck places on their volunteer crews. These transfers take a crew out of the area for extended time. Volunteers are getting harder to recruit, and if some of the EMTs or paramedics are paid higher wages at satellite stations it might drain the pool even further in their city. The group also discussed ways to prevent volunteer burnout. No action was taken, but the group will continue further investigation into solutions.
TRE Association Talks Highway Four-Laning
TRE Logo The Theodore Roosevelt Expressway (TRE) Association held its annual update meeting this week in Watford City, ND. Local leaders, state officials, and advocates of the TRE Corridor gathered to discuss the progress being made on widening U.S. Highway 85 from two to four lanes throughout its course from North Dakota on to the south.

Rory Nelson at TRE Annual
ND Energy Impact Coordinator Rory Nelson shows the state's oil production by county.
Watford City Mayor Brent Sanford welcomed the group to his city. Highway 85 has become an essential corridor for the oil and gas industry, he said. Regarding the need for expansion, he added, "two lane highways worked in the past, but things have changed." Traffic counts for he major roadway have skyrocketed in recent years, resulting in increased accident counts and fatality statistics.

Energy Impact Coordinator Rory Nelson gave a presentation that shared insight into just how the energy industry has changed the region. The top two producing counties in the state, McKenzie and Mountrail, produce more oil than the State of Alaska and are set to overtake California if the number of rigs is maintained in the region, he explained. Nelson also offered some possible solutions to the transportation issues. Oil road corridors, like Highway 85, would help immensely, he said. The expansion of pipeline infrastructure would likewise alleviate the strain on roads. Cities like Watford City that sit along oil road corridors will also benefit from bypass or "truck reliever" routes. Finally, Nelson said that time itself would bring solutions. With time, he said, comes the ability to build up those roadways for the long term.

Grant Levi at TRE Annual
NDDOT Director Grant Levi explains the process being undertaken by the department toward four laning U.S. Highway 85.
ND Dept. of Transportation Director Grant Levi also spoke to the group about progress toward improving the transportation situation in the west. Like Nelson, Levi also alluded to the importance of time. "It takes time to develop a project," he said, especially when considering the environmental impact statement process. The main priority for the NDDOT on Highway 85 at this time will be gaining approval by the necessary federal entities for the area of land south of Williston. This area is known locally as "the Flats" and is regulated by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Wildlife crossings will channel wildlife under the highway in this area to avoid negative effects on natural habitat, he said.

Senator Rich Wardner, the state's Senate Majority Leader, closed out the meeting by saying "now is the time to strike" in terms of funding for the highway expansion. Safety, he said, is the critical thing to consider.

To read more on the issue, check out the story by Bryan Horwath by clicking this link.
Bird 'Death by Windfarm' Case Settled

Wind TurbinesThe first criminal case against a wind power company for the death of birds associated with wind energy facilities has been settled by plea agreement. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department in Federal District Court in Wyoming and concerned wind farms located outside Casper, Wyoming, operated by Duke Energy Corp.'s renewable energy arm, Duke Energy Renewables, Inc.  The case marks the first criminal enforcement of and prosecution under The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, for the death of eagles and other protected birds resulting from wind energy projects.

 

The law seeks to protect migratory birds and makes it unlawful to kill, possess or purchase any migratory bird, or the parts, nests, or eggs of such a bird, except as may be permitted under the terms of a valid permit issued pursuant to Federal regulations.  Pursuant to its provisions, the deaths of the migratory bird species protected by the Act constitute a violation of Federal law.


The death of eagles and other protected avian species at the Wyoming wind farms resulted in a plea agreement, sentencing the company to pay fines to several conservation groups, said to include the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Marathon Commits as "Anchor Shipper" in Sandpiper Pipeline Project
"A major Bakken pipeline known as the Sandpiper project is now in it's open season phase. After securing a commitment from Marathon Petroleum Corp. earlier this month as the projects anchor shipper, Enbridge Energy Partners LP's subsidiary North Dakota Pipeline Co. LLC., has launched an open season call for potential shippers to confirm capacity commitments."

 - The Bakken Magazine's Luke Geiver in his article, 'Bakken Sandpiper pipeline gets anchor shipper, open season begins'.
Upcoming Events
November 28-29, 2013
The office of the NDAOGPC will be closed Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 for the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

December 2-3, 2013
The 47th Annual Convention and Meeting of the ND Township Officers Association will take place Monday, December 2 and Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at the Grand Hotel in Minot.

December 5, 2013
The Western ND Energy Project and Vision West ND are hosting a webinar on Thursday December 5 focusing on a Western ND Regional Legacy Trust. This webinar will provide discussion in detail on policy consideration to develop a regional trust fund for the counties of Western North Dakota directly affected by the energy development of the Bakken shale formation. Discussion will include an outline of nine different ways that local and state government could pay for mitigating the short-term impacts of shale development in ways that set the region up for longer-term sustainability. Three different examples at the national, state and regional levels will be shared regarding the use of endowment funds from natural resource booms to ensure long-term sustainability.

Much of the webinar will describe ways that a Western North Dakota Regional Legacy Trust might be established and govern itself. The ideas to be presented are not definitive, but are offered as a starting point for discussion. The webinar will close with discussion on how North Dakota might fund such a regional legacy trust and how those funds could flow through the trust to the various stakeholders to address strategic purposes for sustaining the region. There will be time for questions included. The session will be recorded and available later for reviewing or those who could not attend the live session.

For more information on the webinar and instructions on how to connect, please click here

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

 

ND Petroleum Council Logo

WTI Crude: $93.27

Brent Crude: $111.40

Natural Gas: $3.86

ND Rig Count: 193

 

From the ND Petroleum Council's News Clips
for November 27, 2013.
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 
NDAOGPC | 701-751-3597 | www.ndenergy.org

400 East Broadway Avenue
Suite 304
Bismarck, ND 58501

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