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North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties
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Stay Connected
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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.
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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 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. Remember that registration for the 2014 NDAOGPC Annual Meeting set for September 18, 2014 in Williston is now open. More details on room blocks and meeting details are available below, or you can check out the registration page on the NDAOGPC website, www.ndenergy.org.
Have a great weekend!
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EmPower ND Commission Approves 2014 Policy Document
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EmPower ND Commission members review the 2014 Policy Document before approving it in their Monday meeting.
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The 2014 Policy Document of the EmPower North Dakota Commission was approved this week in a meeting held Monday, August 4 in Bismarck. The document offers policy updates and recommendations for the 2015 Legislative Session. Five different sectors including infrastructure, workforce, research & development, regulatory environment, and energy growth incentives were the focus of the policy document. The updated EmPower ND report is now available on the www.EmPowerND.com website.
The Commission also discussed several bill drafts related to the energy industry. Three bill drafts, bulleted below, were reviewed and approved by the Commission. You can click the links below to view these drafts.
Several other bill drafts are currently being worked on by Legislative Council. These include:
- Strategic Infrastructure and Improvement Authority
- Oil & Gas Trigger Mechanism (may be combined into another bill)
- Drill Cuttings Beneficial Use
These bill drafts are expected to be introduced to the North Dakota Legislature via the interim Energy Development and Transmission Committee, which meets next Thursday, August 14. The agenda for this meeting is available here.
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Vision West ND Work Continues
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Shirley Brentrup, pictured left, takes her first "selfie" photo in the Bottineau County Courthouse Tuesday much to the amusement of Deana DeFoe and Vicky Steiner.
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Vision West ND administrative team members Shirley Brentrup and Vicky Steiner met earlier this week with three county commissions to discuss the final Vision West ND Regional Plan. Renville, Bottineau and McHenry county commissioners signed the resolution acknowledging the 19-county regional plan. Deana DeFoe, Bottineau Economic Development Corporation director and Plan Director for Bottineau County, joined the discussion in that county.
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There will be a retreat for plan directors, "Technical Learning Conversation", on September 10 and 11 in Dickinson. Plan directors are critical to the ongoing work of the Regional Plan.
 On August 19, the team returns to Divide and Mountrail counties. The Vision West ND planning grant ends January 31, 2015. The North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties approved some additional funding to continue the work of the Vision West ND Consortium in 2015. For more information on the Vision West ND Project visit www.VisionWestND.com. |
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Quadrennial Energy Review Held in Bismarck
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Governor Jack Dalrymple welcomes Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx back to North Dakota. This is one of multiple visits Foxx has made to the state. The recent trail incident in Casselton sparked a national rail safety dialogue.
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Governor Jack Dalrymple started with Bakken rail safety when he listed several items for the two attending Cabinet members at the Quadrennial Energy Review Public Stakeholder Meeting. Speaking to U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx in Bismarck today, Governor Dalrymple reported that the North Dakota Industrial Commission will call for a hearing on conditioning and stagnation of Bakken crude to make it safer in transport. He also said the federal government should consider a federal loan guarantee for the Spiritwood nitrogen plant. "Pipelines are the way to go," he added, and North Dakota will have capacity for 1.6 million barrels a day by 2016.
He also said federal research should be done on E15 gas to determine the correct percentages. With other renewables added to gasoline, he said, there is a synergy. Janet Cronin, Burke County Tax Equalization Director and planning director for Vision West ND participated in the question and answer session, asking about how the federal government can assist small communities with multiple lines of rail and road that are overwhelmed with traffic and crude oil risks.
Secretary Foxx said his department drafted new rules for crude oil tanker car transportation and he invited public comment for 60 days. Some of the rules are to phase out older tanker cars in two years, more tests on the liquids, and training for emergency responders on the oil rail road routes.
The U.S. highway bill has also been extended ten months, but Congressional leaders would like to see a six-year plan so that communities can develop their infrastructure.
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Open Letter From NDAOGPC Deputy Executive Director Pelton
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I write today to announce that as of next week, Friday, August 15, I will no longer be with the ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties.
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NDAOGPC Deputy Executive Director Brady Pelton
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As my final day with the NDAOGPC approaches, I've made it a point to reflect on the last three years. Beginning my journey with the Association in August 2011, I have been proud to represent the people and political subdivisions of western North Dakota. I'd like to take an opportunity to thank you all for the experience. It has been an amazing ride. I can say with full honesty that it has been a privilege and an honor to have been a part of such an outstanding organization and to serve with such esteemed colleagues.
I will be forever grateful for the experience of assisting to represent the needs of western North Dakota. In fact, it has been this experience of public service that has led me to my decision to pursue a legal degree at the University of North Dakota School of Law. I hope to return to the western area of North Dakota to practice law after graduating.
Again, I want to thank you all for making the last three years amazing. I look forward to keeping in touch with you and assisting the mission of the NDAOGPC in whatever ways possible.
Respectfully yours, Brady Pelton
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| Study Results Show Bakken Crude Is Not More Volatile Than Other Light Crude Oils |
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N.D. oil regulators, execs complain Bakken crude unfairly singled out
- Mike Nowatzki, Forum New Service
North Dakota oil regulators and industry officials expressed bewilderment Wednesday over why a federal agency has singled out Bakken crude oil as more volatile than other U.S. crudes when an industry analysis yielded data similar to a government study but deemed the oil as safe as other crudes.
"They really do seem to be picking on us," said Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, who received the industry report Wednesday along with his two fellow members on the state Industrial Commission, Gov. Jack Dalrymple and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.
Dalrymple said he's "puzzled" by the focus on the light, sweet crude from the Bakken shale formation, and he plans to ask U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx about it when Foxx and U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz visit Bismarck on Friday for a discussion on national energy policy.
Click here to read more of this story
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Industrial Commission plans hearing on oil report
- Nick Smith, Bismarck Tribune
State officials decided Wednesday a public hearing is in order to determine if any new regulations may be necessary in ensuring the safety of crude oil shipped by rail from North Dakota.
The three-member North Dakota Industrial Commission unanimously moved to have a hearing scheduled after being briefed on an industry-funded report on the volatility of Bakken crude.
The report, contracted out to engineering firm Turner, Mason and Company, reported that Bakken crude is no more volatile than that found in other shale oil plays. The North Dakota Petroleum Council spent $400,000 having the company and SGS Laboratories do the study.
It drew its results by taking samples from 15 well sites and seven rail-loading terminals in the state over a month-long period earlier this year. Samples were tested to check characteristics, including the initial boiling point of the crude and vapor pressure.
Click here to read more of this story
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Upcoming Events
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September 18, 2014
The 2014 Annual Meeting of the ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties will kick off September 18, 2014 at the Grand Williston (formerly Airport International Inn) in Williston, ND. Registration is now open on the NDAOGPC website, www.ndenergy.org.
This year's Annual Meeting will feature updates on major western ND issues like dust control and how the industry is expected to continue development of the Bakken and Three Forks formations. ND Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms will provide an update to attendees on the state of development, and we will again host a panel of oil and gas industry executives from companies including Hess, Statoil, ONEOK, and WPX Energy that will share their perspectives on the development taking place.
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Dr. Loren Scott
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Keynoting this year's Annual Meeting will be nationally-acclaimed economist Dr. Loren Scott, who will speak on just how the Williston Basin oil play fits into the global energy scene. Dr. Scott's work has been cited in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angles Times, the New York Times, USA Today, and the Financial Times, to name a few.
Members will also have the opportunity to elect county, city, and school district committee members as well as the representatives on the Executive Committee. Current Executive Committee members up for reelection are Billings County Commissioner Jim Arthaud and Bottineau Public School District Supt. Jason Kersten. Bowbells City Commissioner Gary Melby's vacated seat on the Executive Committee will also be filled during elections.
Room blocks for the night of September 17 have been established at the Grand Williston Hotel and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Williston. Attendees are encouraged to book their rooms as soon as possible to ensure lodging for the event. Please contact the Grand Williston Hotel at (701) 774-0241 or the Holiday Inn Express & Suites at (701) 577-0400 to make reservations under the ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties' room block. Room block rates for the Grand Williston Hotel are $159 for double queen beds and $149 for single beds. The Holiday Inn Express block rate is $210.
This year, Annual Meeting registration is $55 for members and associate members, and $85 for non-members. You may register directly on the Association's website at www.ndenergy.org.
We look forward to seeing you at this year's Annual Meeting in Williston!
September 23-25
The 2014 ND Petroleum Council Annual Meeting will be held September 23-25 at the Astoria Dickinson Hotel & Event Center. Registration for the NDPC Annual Meeting is now open and available here. The agenda for the event is also available here.
September 25-27
The 2014 ND League of Cities Annual Conference will be held September 25-27 at the Grand Hotel in Minot, ND. Registration for the event is available here. More information can be found through this link.
October 12-14
The 2014 ND Association of Counties Annual Conference is scheduled for October 12-14 at the Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck, ND. Registration for the conference is available through this link. More information is also available here.
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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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