June 5, 2020 -- Round and Round
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Users of highway web cams who are used to seeing black and white photos on the Department of Transportation's travel map will be pleasantly surprised to see color images like this of the Highway 22/200 roundabout at Killdeer on the new and improved version. See story below.
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Interior: State Owns River Mineral Rights
MHA Nation Says It Will Fight "Illegal Taking"
The U.S. Interior Department has reversed an Obama-era decision asserting tribal ownership of mineral rights under Lake Sakakawea adjacent to the Ft. Berthold Reservation. Tribal leaders demanded the department withdraw its opinion which it called an "illegal taking."
Interior Solicitor Daniel Jorjani withdrew the portion of a January 2017 decision by the Obama DOI that had affirmed the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation's claims against the state to oil and gas reserves beneath the original bed of the Missouri River on the reservation.
Jorjani made his decision in a
May 26 memorandum, citing a report by Historical Research Associates on the Missouri River within the reservation before 1902. The memo says the report supports Jorjani's opinion that North Dakota owns the lands submerged by the Garrison Dam. He said the Equal Footing Doctrine, also known as “equality of the states," establishes a presumption in favor of state ownership.
"As early as 1845, the Supreme Court interpreted this principle to establish a default rule that the “shores of navigable waters, and the soils under them, were not granted by the Constitution to the United States, but were reserved to the states respectively,” Jorjani wrote. "The original 13 states maintained possession of submerged lands upon entrance to the Union, and all new states have the same rights, sovereignty, and jurisdiction over this subject as the original states."
In a statement issued in response to the decision, the MHA Nation said the Interior Department violated U.S. obligations under its 1825 treaties with the MHA Nation as well as its fiduciary duty to protect the MHA Nation and its property rights. It said the Department also failed to consult with the MHA Nation before the taking and did not wait for the MHA Nation’s historical report as previously agreed.
"The legal and historical precedent is clear: MHA Nation owns the rights under the riverbed within the boundaries of the Fort Berthold Reservation," said MHA Chairman Mark Fox. "The Department’s politically motivated action is nothing more than an illegal taking."
Click
here to read an article about the issue from the Associated Press.
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Helms Touts Well Plugging to House Committee
Encourages Members to Consider Block Grant Program
Testifying before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, North Dakota's top oil and gas regulator explained the state's plan to use COVID-19 funds in a well-plugging program aimed at keeping oil industry workers in the state during the current downturn.
Lynn Helms, director of the Department of Mineral Resources, said some workers are currently being retained with funds provided by the federal Paycheck Protection Program, but the money will soon run out so jobs are needed to retain displaced workers. Helms said the well-plugging program, which which will use $33 million in federal funds, is a good use of coronavirus relief money because it will help the state retain a workforce, and address a pressing need to deal with the state's orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells.
Click
here to listen to Helms' comments.
Subcommittee chairman Alan Lowenthal, D-CA, noted that Congress addressed abandoned wells in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, and asked panelists why the problem persists in most states. Helms, who testified on behalf of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), said it was because the legislation only funded an IOGCC project to quantify the problem, but provided no funding to address the thousands of abandoned wells throughout the country. He said IOGCC has in place a working agreement with the Department of Energy, so if Congress authorized a block grant for a well-plugging program, the jobs would be "shovel ready."
Click
here to listen to Helms' comments.
In addition to Helms, others testifying included Adrienne Sandoval, Director of the Oil Conservation Division in New Mexico; Daniel Raimi, Senior Research Associate, Resources for the Future; and Sara Kendall, Program Director, Western Organization of Resource Councils.
Click
here to watch the full subcommittee hearing. Click
here to read an article from the Bismarck Tribune about Helms' appearance before the subcommittee. Click
here for an article from The Hill.
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EERC Making Headway on Gas Storage
The Energy and Environmental Research Center is moving forward with three separate natural gas storage pilot projects aimed at developing another alternative to reduce gas flaring in North Dakota.
John Harju, Vice President for Strategic Partnerships at EERC, told members of the legislature's interim Energy Development and Transmission Committee the work focuses on three scenarios: 1) storage in a saline formation, 2) injection into a conventional depleted oil and gas reservoir, and 3) injection into a producing reservoir, possibly stimulating enhanced oil recovery.
Harju said based on previous studies and computer models, EERC researchers concluded that natural gas storage in a saline formation was technically and economically viable. He said there would be initial losses to create a gas cushion, but the amount recovered would improve, although the operator would have to cope with water associated with it.
Click
here to listen to Harju's comments.
Harju said the modeling focused on the Broom Creek Formation, primarily in southern reaches of the Bakken. He said natural gas injection into a saline formation would not be cheap, costing $15 million to develop with an additional $1-to-3 million in annual operating expenses. But he said if the alternative was curtailing oil production, such an investment would make economic sense.
Harju said EERC is partnering with XTO Energy on other gas storage research efforts, helping the company navigate permitting and other requirements.
Click
here to listen to Harju's comments.
Harju said one issue the legislature may have to address is the fact that state law does not address pore space ownership for temporary gas storage. He said a temporary tax exemption would also be helpful because current law states that production tax is due when the gas is produced.
Click
here to see Harju's slide presentation, which also includes a discussion of EERC's research into managing produced water including recycling. Click
here to see a KFYR-TV story about gas storage.
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EERC Looking into Wind Turbine Blade Recycling
Production Tax Credit Causing Extra Landfill Waste
Wind turbine blades are made primarily of fiberglass, and with thousands of older blades coming down each year, they're starting to pile up in landfills around the country.
The State Energy Research Center at EERC is hoping to reduce the waste problem, and is in the initial stages of an effort to find ways to recycle or repurpose the blades. Director Tom Erickson, when asked about the issue during a meeting this week of the legislature's interim Energy Development and Transmission Committee, said there is currently no good way to recycle the blades because they are made up of several different materials.
Click
here to listen to Erickson's comments.
Erickson said wind turbine blades are designed to last 20 or more years, built to withstand hurricane-force winds, but he observed that many wind farms are re-tooling after just 10 or 12 years. The reason, Erickson learned, is because wind farm owners are able to continue receiving a federal tax subsidy if they "repower" the wind turbines.
Click
here to listen to Erickson's comments.
North Dakota has more than 1,500 wind turbines scattered throughout 29 counties. A single blade from one of the towers is typically 120 feet long and weighs more than six tons. Finding secondary values from blades would help offset costs for decommissioning and disposing of blades in North Dakota, and could set the state ahead of the curve in developing a blade recycling infrastructure.
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WAWS Has Lots of Pipeline Jobs
Oil/Gas Pipeline Companies Bid for Work
With the current economic downturn in the oil and gas industry, it's welcome news that there will be a lot of rural water pipeline to install this summer in North Dakota.
Tami Madsen, director of the Western Area Water Supply Authority, told members of the legislature's interim Water Topics Overview Committee this week that WAWS plans to complete seven pipeline extensions this year. Madsen said the projects will involve the installation of 432 miles of additional pipe, allowing for the connection of 374 new rural water users. She said the projects will create a lot of jobs, and will employ workers who are more accustomed to installing gas or oil pipelines.
Click
here to listen to Madsen's comments.
Bids submitted by contractors on the five projects that have been let indicate the level of competition for available work. Madsen said the lowest bids received are 20 percent below the engineer's estimate. She said WAWS is asking the state to provide $30.4 million to support the work, which is well under the $40 million authorized by the 2019 Legislature. Madsen said the number could be further reduced by about $2.2 million if the WAWS board accepts the lowest qualified bids. See WAWS projects below.
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Southwest Water Authority Needs More Capacity
The rural water system serving southwestern North Dakota is looking to add capacity to bring water to some of the 760 potential customers on its waiting list.
Mary Massad, CEO of the Southwest Water Authority, told members of the interim Water Topics Overview committee this week that the Southwest Pipeline Project that serves five water systems is working to add additional capacity to serve more customers. Massad said the authority has conducted an engineering design study that she said is aimed at making "strategic hydraulic improvements."
Click
here to listen to Massad's comments.
Massad said the authority has developed a list of eight projects that would allow it to serve an additional 186 customers at a cost of $4.6 million. She said also on the drawing board is a $7.2 million project in the Dickinson area that would expand system capacity by 30 percent. Massad also described efforts to expand its supplementary water intake on Lake Sakakawea, a facility it shares with Basin Electric Power Cooperative. The project is awaiting further environmental and regulatory review.
The water supply system currently serves nearly 7,300 rural customers and 33 southwestern North Dakota communities. Click
here to see Massad's slide presentation.
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Wide-Ranging Ballot Measure Circulating
Same Group Pushed Confusing Ethics Measure
The same group of activists who duped voters in 2018 into passage of a constitutional measure that infringes on the free speech rights of North Dakotans is at it again, this time pushing a 1,500-word addition to the state constitution that would radically alter the state's voting procedure and the way legislative districts are drawn.
In 2018 the anti-free speech provisions in Measure 1 were downplayed by its proponents, who were able to convince voters it was an "anti-corruption" measure. This time the likely sell line is that the measure will make it easier for soldiers to vote, which is about the only non-controversial provision it contains.
Among other things, the measure would change the constitution to require all state voting machines to produce a paper record of each vote cast. It would also require the Secretary of State to conduct a random audit of election results and issue an audit report within 120 days of an election.
The measure would also create open primary elections, allowing voters to cross party lines to pick the weakest opponent for their preferred party candidate. It would also require that four candidates receiving the most votes in the primary for statewide office, the legislature and congressional offices would appear on the general election ballot for that office, effectively eliminating the primary in many cases, or possibly eliminating all candidates from a political party. It would also create "instant runoffs" by allowing voters to rank their first, second, third and fourth choices of the candidates for each office.
If that weren't confusing enough, the measure would also throw out the state legislature's longstanding tradition of re-drawing legislative districts every 10 years to reflect population shifts, and instead grant that authority to the new Ethics Commission. The commission would be required to first establish senatorial districts, each of which would be divided into two legislative districts.
The ballot measure sponsoring committee,
North Dakota Voters First, is composed of many of the same individuals who pushed Measure One two years ago. It's also financed the same way, with all of its
$187,000 in revenue coming from left-leaning out-of-state groups.
Backers of the measure, which was approved for circulation in late April, have a difficult task ahead if they hope to get the measure on the 2020 general election ballot. Petition circulators must collect nearly 27,000 signatures by July 6 to put the measure before voters in November. They would have the option of continuing to gather signatures beyond July 6 and turn them in by April 2021, but that would mean the redistricting language would not be in effect when legislative boundaries are redrawn next year.
Click
here to see members of the sponsoring committee and the full text of the measure. Click
here to read columnist Rob Port's take on the measure and its sponsoring committee.
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UGPTI Studying Township Road Needs
The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute has completed a survey to gather information about roads in North Dakota’s roughly 1,300 organized townships.
The survey, conducted in cooperation with the ND Township Officers Association, was designed to obtain information on graveling and blading costs, as well as comparing maintenance practices across the state. Response to the survey was good, with 71% of the surveys completed, surpassing the 2016 survey by nearly 300 responses.
The information provided in the survey responses is being used to inform legislators as part of the ongoing needs study which will provide an estimate of the 20‐year funding needs to maintain North Dakota’s county, township and tribal roads and bridges. In addition, the responses provide valuable data about variations in costs and practices across different regions of the state.
The draft report of the needs study will be available in July at
www.ugpti.org.
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Updated Travel Map Launched
Several new upgrades and a consistent look and feel across web and mobile applications are at the heart of a new travel information map launched this week by the North Dakota Department of Transportation.
“Our goal for the new travel map was to provide a platform that has many features to allow the user to pick and choose any of those features that would help them make the best decision as to whether or not to travel,” said Mike Kisse, program manager of NDDOT’s Maintenance Division. “The new platform also allows the potential to quickly add new features in the future.”
The new features include:
- An updated table of contents/index area.
- A new way to show Travel Alert and No Travel Advised as colored overlays on the map.
- Weather information provided by the National Weather Service featuring weather radar and warnings and advisories.
- Information about cameras, rest areas, and dynamic message boards.
- Map information which is consolidated into a panel that slides in from the right.
- An updated camera search to allow user to interactively view cameras by regions, common routes, highways or camera direction.
The ND Roads mobile app is being updated and the new version will be available later this summer.
Motorists can view the travel map
here.
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Check: Was Your Ballot Received?
North Dakota’s June election is being done entirely by mail and the ballots will be counted next week. Questions regarding the June 9 election, like “was my ballot received” and “what kind of turnout is occurring,” can be found at this
link.
The button to check the status of your ballot is obvious; it’s a yellow banner in the center of the page labeled “
Check My Ballot Status.”
To discover statistics on overall turnout takes a little hunting. Go to the bottom of the right-side column under Quick Links and click the “
2020 Vote By Mail Election Numbers.” This link will show the total number of ballots sent and returned in the state.
Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked June 8 or earlier. Ballots may be inserted in county drop box locations until 4 p.m. on June 9. The locations of the drop boxes can be found in the
Frequently Asked Questions link at
vote.nd.gov.
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WDEA Offering Energy Scholarships
The Western Dakota Energy Association will award five $1,000 scholarships this fall to students in an energy-related field at a North Dakota college, university or technical school.
WDEA President Shannon Holter said the association is offering the scholarships to help the industry and western communities meet the workforce challenges historically experienced with oil industry growth.
“We recognize that North Dakota will see benefits from the oil industry only if it is able to attract the workforce it needs,” said Holter. “We want to do everything we can to encourage young people to explore the many opportunities for a rewarding career in the energy sector.”
Funding for the scholarship program is generated by sponsorships of WDEA’s annual meeting, as well as royalties from advertising in Basin Bits magazine.
Click
here to learn more about the selection criteria and how to apply.
Click
here to view or download an application form.
The application deadline is September 18, 2020. Scholarship winners will be announced at WDEA's annual meeting October 7-8 in Williston.
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Scholarships for the Fort Berthold Reservation
A new scholarship fund has been established for graduating seniors on the Fort Berthold Reservation, with the goal of awarding multiple annual scholarships at $1,000 each.
Beaver Creek, LLC, a locally-owned business in New Town, started the fund this spring in order to give back to their community.
“Saving up for college is difficult enough in ordinary times, but with the added pressures and disappointments of COVID-19, as well as the sluggish economy, we wanted to provide students with better opportunities to aid in their pursuit of higher education,” said Dale Little Soldier, owner of Beaver Creek, LLC.
A
website has been created to advertise the scholarships that will be given out annually. For 2020 graduating seniors from Fort Berthold there are four different scholarships available for $1,000 each, for a total of $4,000 that will be awarded this year. Applications must be completed through the website by June 20th, and scholarships will be awarded by June 30th each year.
“This is a great way for my family to become involved in a community that has done so much to support the oil and gas industry,” said Barrett Withers, COO at Beaver Creek, LLC.
Hunting Bear, a Tier 1 energy service company, and Oilfield Support Services, located in New Town, two additional companies, have also joined Beaver Creek in helping to fund the scholarships.
The Minot Area Community Foundation, a North Dakota not-for-profit corporation, was asked to manage the endowment fund to make these scholarships perpetual. To date, the FBIR Scholarship Fund has raised $52,000 but is actively looking for additional donors. For more information, contact Barrett Withers,
barrett@beavercreekllc.com, 701-898-7061.
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NDPC Al Golden Scholarships
Application Process Now Open
The Al Golden Scholarship Program, sponsored by the North Dakota Petroleum Council through its philanthropic foundation, is now accepting applications for the 2020-21 school year.
The program will award up to nine $2,000 scholarships to students pursuing degrees or training in an energy-related field.
Scholarship winners are selected based on academic achievement, work or internship experience in the oil and natural gas industry or a demonstrated commitment to a qualified area of study. Students must be attending a North Dakota college or university and remain a full-time student for the 2020 fall semester and 2021 spring semester.
Applications must be submitted or postmarked by June 1, 2020. For qualifications and application requirements along with a list of previous scholarship award winners,
click here.
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COVID-19 Useful Information Resources
Here is a list of useful information resources for addressing both individual and family concerns along with pertinent information for business and employers related to managing the current coronavirus outbreak.
Information at these links is usually updated to be the most current to help focus on facts not fear, and preparation over panic.
North Dakota SMART Re-start
North Dakota Information
U.S. Small Business Administration
Small Business Loans
Center for Disease Control & Prevention
U.S Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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Quick Connect
- Enbridge backs Line 3 demand forecast despite opposition -- Fargo Forum
- Minnesota to hold hearing on Enbridge Line 3 water permit -- Fargo Forum
- NDIC awards grant for carbon capture research at ethanol plants -- Bismarck Tribune
- Trump ally Kevin Cramer claims victory in efforts to protect oil industry -- Washington Examiner
- ND COVID-19 cases are falling, but it's not time to declare a victory just yet -- Williston Herald
- Local businesses react to new phase of ND Smart Restart plan -- Williston Herald
- The numbers: April economy at a glance for Williston and Williams County -- Williston Herald
- Wind industry may provide a few jobs to pick up slack from oil field losses -- Tioga Tribune
- Midwest economy: A glance at state-by-state results for May 2020 -- Associated Press
- County approves $14.69M budget for emergency service projects -- Williston Herald
- Safety concern prompts letter addressing road improvements -- Beulah Beacon
- Ranch, road, other projects underway in Teddy Roosevelt National Park -- Bismarck Tribune
- Dickinson State University announces simplified tuition rates for fall 2020 -- Dickinson Press
- Two school districts serving Williston agree to start negotiating plan to merge -- Williston Herald
- North Dakota Industrial Commission approves $166K for outdoor projects -- Bismarck Tribune
- Emergency declared in Siberia after 20,000 tons of diesel fuel spilled -- Associated Press
- Cristobal back to tropical storm strength as 30% of Gulf oil production comes offline -- Platts
- Blockchain group says pilot test shows promise for oil and gas operators -- Reuters
- Shale oil is bouncing back one well at a time with oil above $30/barrel -- Bloomberg
- China drives global oil demand recovery out of coronavirus collapse -- Reuters
- EOG executive: A quicker, but 'sawtooth' (uneven) oil recovery is coming -- S&P Global
- U.S. states no longer have power to block pipelines, and that's a big deal for oil -- OilPrice.com
- EPA: Final rule on CWA written to fast track natural gas, oil infrastructure -- NGI's Shale Daily
- Raymond James: ‘Extremely bullish’ natural gas prices in 2021, LNG less rosy -- NGI Daily
- Oil prices rise to near 3-month high ahead of OPEC+ meeting on output cuts -- Reuters
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Factoid of the Week
Big Green, Inc. has created a state-by-state map highlighting groups that spend billions supporting aggressive climate change litigation, uneconomic renewable energy and burdensome regulations. The money has helped to generate anti-market sentiment that dominates current energy policy. The map tracks funding sources and identifies issue areas. It will continue to be updated as new data becomes available.
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June 9
Statewide
June 9
Bismarck/Online
June 9
Bismarck/Online
June 18
Bismarck
June 19
Bismarck
June 19
Williston
June 23
Bismarck
June 25
Bismarck
August 20-21
Williston
September 1-3
Bismarck
September 30 - October 1
Bismarck
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Oil prices and rig count
June 5, 2020
WTI Crude: $39.55
Brent Crude: $42.30
Natural Gas: $1.78
North Dakota Active Oil Rigs: 11 (up 1)
6/5/2019 -- 64 rigs
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Geoff Simon
Editor/Executive Director
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