New Member – Thanks to the new Petroleum Council members Alliance Pipeline L.P., Halliburton, and Triple T Inc.
Petroleum Council Annual Meeting – The Annual Meeting will be held September 18–20 in Medora, North Dakota. Information, including the agenda, meeting and golf registration, sponsorship, and hotel information, is available at http://www.ndoil.org/content/view/72/93/.
On Tuesday, there will be open golf followed by an evening reception at the ND Cowboy Hall of Fame. Wednesday will be “Fun Day” with a golf tournament at the Bully Pulpit or your choice of tours followed by a banquet. Thursday speakers are highlighted by Bakken talks from Hess and Marathon, and the keynote luncheon speaker is Lynn Westfall, Chief Economist, Tesoro Petroleum.
Tidbits – The latest version of Oil & Gas Tidbits was recently mailed directly to more than 800 North Dakota policy-makers. This issue addresses the workforce challenges facing the petroleum industry and illustrates the facts discovered in the recent employment needs study. http://www.ndoil.org/content/view/73/2/
No ND Sales Tax on Fracturing Jobs in MT – In a recent decision, the Tax Department concurred with the Petroleum Council that the use of proppants and other materials used in the hydraulic fracturing of oil wells in Montana by a North Dakota-based company should not be subject to North Dakota sales tax even if the materials for the job were transported from North Dakota to a Montana well site. This is a significant decision because it would have added another 5.5% expense to fracturing jobs.
Well Set Back and Other New Laws Take Effect August 1:
HB-1229 increases the distance a well may be drilled from a permanently occupied dwelling from 330 feet to 500 feet and requires notice to a homeowner within ¼ mile of the drilling operation.
HB-1511 allows the Industrial Commission to require a single well bond on wells that are not properly placed in temporarily abandoned status.
HB-1048 authorizes the County Treasurer in a county where the unlocatable mineral owners are located to serve as a trustee for the creation of a trust.
North Dakota Minimum Wage Increases – ALL ND EMPLOYERS NEED NEW POSTER – Pursuant to legislation passed by the state this year, once the federal minimum wage increases, the state minimum wage follows. Therefore, by law, all employers must post the new poster. These posters are free. To download a copy of the poster, go to http://www.nd.gov/labor/.
Rocky Mountain Crude Oil Market Dynamics Summit – The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) Chairman, Governor John Hoeven, is hosting a summit on the crude oil bottleneck in the Rocky Mountain Region September 4–5 in Denver, CO. This summit is the result of interest regarding an IOGCC task force final report, “Rocky Mountain Region Crude Oil Market Dynamics,” that was produced in January 2007. All parties with an interest in the region’s crude oil infrastructure are invited to attend. IOGCC is seeking sponsors for the summit. The agenda, registration, and sponsorship information is available at http://www.iogcc.state.ok.us/events.html.
Experience North Dakota - The North Dakota Department of Commerce is hosting the Experience North Dakota event in Chicago on September 22 and in Denver on November 17. The event is a combination job fair and open house to recruit workers back to North Dakota. The event will feature job, housing, and education opportunities within the state, as well as arts, entertainment, and food with North Dakota roots.
The Department of Commerce encourages businesses with immediate job openings in the $30,000 or more salary range to participate in this year’s Experience North Dakota events. Businesses that partner in the event are given the opportunity to have an interactive and informational exhibit/booth at the events to represent their particular group. Businesses will also have the opportunity to meet with potential employees, conduct on-site interviews, and will receive an electronic list of attendees. In addition, your business will be featured in pre-event materials mailed out to more than 15,000 people and will be recognized at the event and in the event program materials. Interested businesses should contact Tracy Finneman at the Department of Commerce at 701-328-5352, or
, by August 1 for the event scheduled in Chicago and October 1 for the event in Denver.
Oil and Gas Research Council Approves Projects – The Oil and Gas Research Council recommended approval of three projects at a recent meeting in Bismarck. The ND Industrial Commission voted in support of the recommendations at the June meeting.
For more information about the Oil and Gas Research Council, or to view complete project summaries, go to http://www.nd.gov/ndic/ogrp-infopage.htm. The next grant application deadline is November 1, 2007.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife – It has come to our attention that sometime in August the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intends to conduct flyovers of some North Dakota oil and gas production sites. During these visits, they will be looking primarily for “anti-perching” devices on treater tubes, etc. They will, however, subsequently follow up with on-the-ground visits. The U.S Fish & Wildlife is concerned that migratory birds are nesting in or near treaters and other equipment. They will likely be checking any open pits at the same time.
For more information on any of these issues, contact the North Dakota Petroleum Council at (701) 223-6380.
