Vision West ND Newsletter
November 29, 2013
Vol. 2, Issue 13
Vision West ND
Greetings All!

Rick Garcia, Regional Administrator for HUD Region VIII, speaks to attendees at the Vision West ND Federal Partners Roundtable in Dickinson.
Federal, state, and local leaders met last week in Dickinson to discuss the progress being made in regional planning through the Vision West ND project. Federal partners to the project include the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and the U.S. Dept. of Transportation. Representatives from each of the federal agencies were on hand at the roundtable to answer questions on how the federal government may assist the western region of North Dakota in the implementation phase of its regional plan.

"Through this process, Vision West ND will create an opportunity for local leaders to have face to face contact with regional federal partners in the Vision West ND project," said Vision West ND Program Director Shirley Brentrup. "This will raise the awareness of regional federal offices on the issues being faced in our region and could create cooperative relationships between them and our local leaders," she said. Several federal programs exist that may help address the impacts and quality of life issues in western ND. State programs, the federal representatives added, could be leveraged to access even more federal dollars.

 

VWND Roundtable Participants

Vision West ND Federal Partners Roundtable participants listen to IRRRB Commissioner Tony Sertich as he discusses a regional trust system used in Minnesota.

Tony Sertich, Commissioner for Minnesota's Iron Range Resource &Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), presented on the possibilities that may exist in North Dakota for setting aside amounts of oil tax dollars specifically for use by the oil-producing region to deal with the impacts of large scale development. The IRRRB receives no state funds, yet works to diversify and expand beyond the "3T" (taconite, timber, and tourism) industries that dominate the northeast region of Minnesota. The IRRRB receives 63% of the in-lieu-of tax placed on the mineral resources extracted from the region. A portion of those locally held funds are placed in a trust fund for future use by the region. Sertich said that the trust fund has been accessed during "bust times" in the region's history and acts as a safety net to protect the region should the "3T" industries decline.

Dr. Dick Gardner, who works with the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, also presented to the group on how the process used by the IRRRB in Minnesota could be adapted to North Dakota. A white paper of the Western North Dakota Energy Project was shared by Gardner. The white paper provides more detail for policy consideration on the development of a regional trust fund for the counties of western ND directly affected by the energy development of the Bakken shale formation. That white paper is available through this link.

For more information on the Vision West ND Federal Partners Roundtable, click the news links below:
Dickinson Press 
KFYR-TV News

 

More information on the potential for a regional trust fund will be shared in a webinar scheduled for Thursday, December 5, 2013. The Western ND Energy Project and Vision West ND are hosting the webinar, which 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, pleaseclick here. The webinar will also be recorded and made available on the Vision West ND website for those who are unable to attend the live presentation.

 

Have a great week, and enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family!

 

The Vision West ND Team
Contact Us!

2493 4th Ave. W
Suite G
Dickinson, ND 58601

701.483.2801

Quick Links

* Vision West ND Homepage 

 

* U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development 

 

* ND USDA Rural Development 

  

* ND Dept. of Commerce Division of Community Services Child Care Grant Program