Logo
North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties
In This Issue
Stay Connected

Like us on Facebook
Join Our Mailing List
Quick Links
Other Resources
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.
May 9, 2014
 

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you for your continued interest in the activity of the ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties

 

We hope that you will find this week's News From the NDAOGPC as a valuable source of information. 

 
Have a happy Mother's Day weekend!
Wet Conditions Force County Road Shutdowns; How the Uniform County Road Status System Works
Trucks on County Road

The spring thaw has again proven to be a challenging time for western ND county road departments and businesses needing to use the roads alike.  The ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties provides a forum for counties to post their restricted roads and for industry to access that information.  This information is available on the NDAOGPC website - www.ndenergy.org.  The county road superintendents have been provided login information so they can keep their restrictions up to date, and additional logins may be requested by participating counties by selecting the 'County Login to Manage Road Restrictions' at the bottom of the home page, and the 'Request Login' link on the Welcome window.  County officials may login by selecting the 'County Login to Manage Road Restrictions' on the home page, enter their username and password, and click 'Login.'  To enter a new restriction, click 'Add Restrictions' and complete the form.

 

Each restricted road should be entered as a separate post. A URL link may be attached to the post if desired.  To add a link or a .pdf to the posting, scroll down and use the link form.  To remove a restriction, scroll to your county on the restricted road list and click 'remove restriction' to the right of the posting.  To modify a restriction, scroll to the restriction and click on the 'Road' description, make changes, and 'Update.'

 

It is extremely important that the restriction page is kept up to date by the counties.  Companies rely on these notifications and come to this forum for up-to-date information.

 

To view the restricted roads, individuals and companies may select the 'View Details of Restricted County Roads' button at the bottom of the ndenergy.org home page.  Individuals may sign up to receive emails and/or texts of changes to the restrictions by going to ndenergy.org and clicking on the link - 'Sign up for Restricted Road Email/Text Notifications' at the bottom of the home page, and completing the 'Receive Restriction Notifications' form on the right. Contacts for each of the counties within the Uniform County Truck Permit system are available here

 

For more information on the Restricted County Road Management System, contact NDAOGPC Uniform County Truck Permit System Operator Janet Sanford at 701-566-5576.

Oil patch counties too wet for oil trucks again
   - Lauren Donovan, Bismarck Tribune 
McKenzie and Mountrail counties were in the second day of closing gravel roads to heavy oil traffic Thursday after yet another round of rain and snow mix caused soft mud to develop.

To prevent damage, both counties restricted vehicles heavier than 12,000 pounds from being out on gravel roads, with the exception of school buses.

 

McKenzie County Emergency Manager Jerry Samuelson said the situation will be re-evaluated Friday morning, after closing the roads late Wednesday afternoon.

 

In Mountrail County, roads were closed to heavy oil traffic Wednesday morning. Commissioner Greg Boschee said the situation would be re-evaluated depending on dry conditions and sunshine.

 

It is the second time in two weeks oil patch counties have closed roads to prevent semis from churning deep ruts into the road surfaces.

 

Boschee said it isn't popular with oil companies, which complain the closures cost them millions of dollars.

 

"The damage is costing us millions, too. Last time we did this, I got a call from the governor's office and I said they could send us some money to fix the roads and we won't have this problem. They said they'd look into it," Boschee said.

 

Click here to read Donovan's full story. 

Natural gas could be a help instead of a waste
   - Amy Dalrymple, Forum News Service
Natural gas that is flared today could one day be used to extract more oil from the Bakken.

John Harju
EERC Associate Director for Research, John Harju
The Energy and Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota is in the early stages of studying enhanced oil recovery using natural gas.

"We're actually very encouraged about this at this point," said John Harju, associate director for research. "We do know that several companies are at least studying this."

 

The EERC has been researching injecting carbon dioxide into Bakken wells to enhance oil recovery, and estimates that the technique could mean billions more barrels of oil produced in North Dakota.

 

But the state doesn't have enough carbon dioxide available currently, while at the same time about one-third of the state's natural gas is burned off at the well site due to a lack of infrastructure.

 

Preliminary lab research shows that injecting raw gas into the Bakken wells may also be an effective way to recover more oil, while reducing flaring at the same time, Harju said.

 

Click here to continue reading Dalrymple's story.
Group Proposes Lake Sakakawea Car Ferry
   - Marisa DeCandido, KFYR-TV News
A ferry that carries cars across Lake Sakakawea could be in the works.

Vision West N.D. is leading a proposed project to put a ferry on the lake north of Twin Buttes where Highway eight ends. The objective is to ease traffic patterns on Highway 22 north of Killdeer.

"It gives the passenger traffic an alternative route to Highway 22. If you're going from Dickinson to Parshall or New Town or Stanley, rather than go up Highway 22 with all the heavy truck traffic, you can move over and go up across the ferry," says Mark Resner the project leader for the ferry.

The group is working with a consulting and engineering firm to put together a preliminary study to look at cost and feasibility.

It should be ready in a few weeks

Click here to watch the video of DeCandido's story. 
N.D. may approve wider use of brine for dust control
   - Josh Wood, Associated Press
Dusty Road A North Dakota Health Department official says his office may give the green light for wider use of oil field-produced brine on roads for dust control this year.

Dave Glatt, the head of the Health Department's Environmental Health Section, said that pilot projects and tests are underway to determine the environmental impact of brine's use on roads as well as its effectiveness compared to commercially available products. He said the Health Department is also working to identify saltwater disposal wells that could be used as a source for brine.

 

"We want to maintain the same level of dust control and the same level of environmental impact, if not less," Glatt said.

 

No timetable was set for a decision, he said.

 

Click here to continue reading Wood's story. 

Development of the Tyler formation in prospect mode
   - Dan Sharp for the Bismarck Tribune

Since Hess Oil discovered oil near Tioga in 1951, companies have economically produced oil and natural gas from more than 20 geologic formations in North Dakota's share of the Williston Basin. For nearly a decade, exploration and production has centered on the Bakken formation, which now accounts for about 95 percent of the state's annual production and gets the lion's share of oil patch press.

 

However, companies continue to "kick the tires," so to speak, by searching for resources in other formations. During the past few years, for example, exploration and production has steadily grown in the Red River, Spearfish and Madison formations. More recently, the Tyler formation has drawn some attention as a possible "Baby Bakken." Whether the Tyler formation deserves the moniker and will live up to some early expectations, however, is probably a few years down the road.

 

Click here to read Sharp's full story. 

Plans unveiled for liquified natural gas plant
   - Nick Smith, Bismarck Tribune

Officials with a North Dakota company announced Wednesday the construction of a liquefied natural gas processing plant expected to be operational this summer in the northwestern part of the state.

 

Prairie Companies and North Dakota LNG Chief Executive Officer Pat Hughes said the processing facility will be operational in the coming weeks and provide 10,000 gallons of liquefied natural gas per day. A planned expansion of the plant will increase the capacity to 76,000 gallons by early 2015.

 

Gov. Jack Dalrymple, who joined company officials in the state Capitol for the announcement, said the facility was the first of its kind in North Dakota.

 

Approximately 25-30 jobs are expected to be created from the project.

 

Click here to continue reading Smith's story. 

North Dakota Population Increases Discussed with U.S. Census Bureau Director
Census director gets firsthand look at North Dakota
   - Nick Smith, Bismarck Tribune

With the challenges of attaining an accurate count in a state growing faster than any in the nation, newly appointed U.S. Census Bureau Director John Thompson said North Dakota was the ideal state for his first visit.

 

Thompson joined Gov. Jack Dalrymple on Tuesday morning in the state Capitol to outline his stops in Fargo, Bismarck and Williston.

 

With the population spiking in recent years due to energy production and thousands of new jobs, Thompson said, it creates challenges for the Census Bureau to accurately track the growth.

 

"Any time you have a lot of population movement ... it's going to be a challenge," Thompson said.

 

Dalrymple noted that local leaders in a number of western oil patch communities seemed to have believed the count in the 2010 Census came up short.

Click here to continue reading Smith's story.

Dalrymple Discusses State's Population Growth with U.S. Census Bureau Director Thompson

   - May 6, 2014 Press Release from the Office of the Governor

Gov. Jack Dalrymple today met with U.S. Census Bureau Director John Thompson to discuss the state's population growth and changes, and options for continuing to work together to increase the quality of data production. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, North Dakota is the nation's fastest-growing state. Thompson is visiting North Dakota to see firsthand the rapid growth that is occurring in all regions of the state

"After years of out-migration and population decline, North Dakota is now the fastest-growing state in the nation, recording population growth in all regions of the state," Dalrymple said. "We are pleased that Director Thompson has come to North Dakota to learn more about our rapid growth and to see firsthand the exciting things that are occurring as a result of that growth."


Click here to read the complete press release.
NDAOGPC Continues to Accept Applications for 2014 Scholarship Awards
ATTENTION ND STUDENTS!!
Tscholarshiphe NDAOGPC is again sponsoring a scholarship program for students in North Dakota focusing on energy-related degrees. Students who have completed 12 credit hours or more are welcome to apply for one of six scholarships that will be awarded in August 2014. Applicants should be pursuing degrees in engineering, chemistry, geology, petroleum sciences or other studies directly related to the oil and gas industry. Invitations to apply for the Association's 2014 scholarships were recently sent to all North Dakota colleges, universities, and vocational schools. We strongly encourage all readers to share this opportunity with anyone they believe may qualify. The application can be downloaded HERE.

Last year, the Association awarded a total of $10,000 to six deserving students. Don't miss this great opportunity to gain financial assistance for an industry related education! The deadline for application submission is June 15, 2014.
Upcoming Events

May 20-22, 2014

The 2014 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference will be held May 20-22, 2014 in Bismarck, ND. Booth space is sold out, but limited sponsorships are still available. The full agenda can be found here. You can register for the event by clicking here.

 

Limited hotel rooms remain in Bismarck, so please book your hotels as soon as possible. More information on hotels in the Bismarck/Mandan area is available here.

 

For more information regarding the conference, please visit www.wbpcnd.org or contact event coordinators at 701.223.6380 and [email protected].

 

June 25, 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.
Oil and Gas Stats

 

ND Petroleum Council Logo

WTI Crude: $100.58

Brent Crude: $108.61

Natural Gas: $4.60

ND Rig Count: 191

 

From the ND Petroleum Council's News Clips
for May 9, 2014.
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

Copyright � 2013. All Rights Reserved.