North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties

The Ports-to-Plains Board of Directors held their quarterly board meeting in San Antonio, Texas this week in conjunction with the 9th annual Texas Transportation forum. The Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Association (TRE) is the northern-most U.S. Alliance Partner.

 

The Texas Transportation Forum had its largest attendance ever in excess of 1,350 registrants. The state of Texas is proud of their surface transportation infrastructure and the advancements they have made to accommodate a robust economy and growing population with an estimated 1,000 new residents moving to the state of Texas on a daily basis. This population growth, according to TRE Executive Director Cal Klewin, is not unlike the growth being faced in the Williston Basin of North Dakota.

 

Speakers at the event addressed the funding issues with the nation's transportation system and the failure of the federal highway trust fund to meet the transportation infrastructure needs of the nation.

 

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx addresses attendees of the Texas Transportation Forum in San Antonio, TX this week.

Keynoting the forum was U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who addressed the failing transportation infrastructure in the United States. He stated the United States has fallen behind and now ranks 25th in the world in terms of transportation infrastructure deficit. This places the U.S. behind the country of Barbados. Secretary Fox hinted that in order to fund the nation transportation system needs there needs to be a federal gas tax increase. The current gas tax is 18.4 cents implemented in 1993, and has not been increased since. That 18.4 cents is now worth less than 12 cents considering inflation. Discussion also focused on the need to take a look at public/private partnerships to provide funding for surface transportation systems.

 

Oil and gas exploration in the nations' shale formations was also discussed. Texas is experiencing significant growth is this industry, as is the Williston Basin and Bakken. Transportation networks are key to the energy industry, speakers said. According to Klewin, "the message is loud and clear. We need to advance our infrastructure to compete locally and globally to grow our nation's economy." The question we need to answer, he said, is how do we as a nation pay for it.

Permitting of oil well waste disposal sites took center stage this week during a meeting of the Mountrail County Commission. County officials as well as leaders from the City of Ross and area citizens raised concern over the apparent lack of communication between the ND Dept. of Mineral Resources and the ND Health Department in an incident where one such disposal site was permitted in a drinking water protection area. Check out the articles below for more information.

In a North Dakota Supreme Court ruling released December 26, 2013, ownership of the mineral rights located between the high- and low-water marks along the Missouri River belongs to the state.

Oil bonuses and royalties that would have normally been paid out were withheld in special accounts as the question of who actually owned the rights was answered. Now that a decision has been made by the state's high court, the amount that accrued, between $135 million and $140 million, will go to the state's Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund (SIIF).

The Supreme Court said that individual landowners can still claim ownership if they can show that the state sold or granted them some of the so-called "shore zone" in the past.

For more information

Gov. Jack Dalrymple kicked off the first meeting of the Pipeline Technology Working Group on Thursday by welcoming its members and directing them to focus their work on identifying the latest available technologies for enhanced monitoring and control of oil and gas pipelines.

 

He said the state expects North Dakota pipeline operators to use best practices, which may mean going above and beyond existing requirements to monitor and control pipeline flows.

 

Dalrymple formed the 15-member advisory panel in December.  The technical working group includes private sector engineers as well as representatives from the North Dakota Public Service Commission, the North Dakota State University Center for Surface Protection, the North Dakota Pipeline Authority, the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and representatives from pipeline companies operating in the state.

 

January 14, 2014

The January meeting of the ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties Executive Committee will be held at 10:00am CST on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce located at 1640 Burnt Boat Road in Bismarck, ND.

 

February 6, 2014

There will be a Vision West ND Consortium Meeting on February 6, 2014. The meeting is scheduled from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, CST at the Sleep Inn in Minot, located at 2400 10th Street SW next to the Dakota Square Mall. The agenda's primary focus will be on the Consortium's discussion, editing and eventual approval of the Vision West ND Regional Plan. The annual election of officers for 2014 will also be held.

 

February 10-12, 2014

The Bakken-Three Forks Shale Oil Innovation Conference & Expo will be held February 10-12 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, ND. More information on the event is available through 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.

September 18, 2014
Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2014 Annual Meeting of the ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties to be held Thursday, September 18, 2014 at the Grand Williston Hotel in Williston, ND. Information on hotel room blocks, the registration process, and sponsorship opportunities will be shared as we get closer to the event.

 

WTI Crude: $92.67

Brent Crude: $106.91

Natural Gas: $4.01

ND Rig Count: 193

 

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,

400 East Broadway Avenue
Suite 304
Bismarck, ND 58501