magazine

Discussing Industry
Study, County Road Bill
Draft
An update on a legislative study covering
oil and gas industry impacts was presented in
early March 2014 by Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson,
the study’s consultant. Mike Wamboldt, KLJ
engineer, shared the progress that had been
made so far in the first phase of the study,
which Wamboldt says, is focused on data gathering
in an effort to establish commonalities
and identify key indicators that show reliable
trends that can be used to better anticipate how
the oil and gas industry will develop over time.
Wamboldt was clear that the data collected
so far, gathered largely from 28 state and federal
studies relevant to the Bakken oil play, as
well as discussions with industry members, is
not conclusive. The data gathered in this initial
phase will be used to develop an analysis
of oil industry practices, production, impacts
and tax policy. Phase two was expected to be
complete by April and was reported to the
committee at its next meeting, which was held
on April 8 in Minot, ND.
A bill draft that would give the North
Dakota Department of Transportation (ND-
DOT) authority to take on county road maintenance
was also discussed. Terry Traynor,
assistant director of the North Dakota Association
of Counties, presented some county perspective
on the issue and the response he had
received from county engineers and commissioners.
Those responses, according to Traynor,
were “thoughtful but somewhat confused,”
especially on the problem the bill draft was
supposed to be solving.
Traynor explained that the problem is not
so much the fact that counties don’t have the
capacity to get their road maintenance projects
done, but that it has more to do with
having the financial resources to commit to
them. He also pointed out that many county
roads, especially in the western portion
of the state, are benefiting the state system
by relieving traffic from state routes. Those
county roads, he says, could be characterized
as having regional or statewide significance.
These issues, Traynor adds, could merit serious
discussion and formal consideration of
whether those routes warrant reclassification
as state routes, “or some special consideration
for funding improvements.”
Grant Levi, NDDOT’s director, also adds
that the state system was not designed to handle
the stress added to it by the oil and gas industry.
He says that traffic counts in the nineteen
oil producing counties showed increases
from 2010 to 2012, but that the numbers had
“balanced out” in 2013.
Dickinson, ND city administrator, Shawn
Kessel (left), joined by the NDAOGPC executive
director, Vicky Steiner (right), talks about how
the energy impact needs are not sufficiently
addressed by the current funding model.
NDAOGPC Represented
on Valley News Live’s
Point of View
Chris Berg, Point of View television
show anchor, interviewed Shawn Kessel,
Dickinson, ND city administrator, and
Vicky Steiner, executive director of the
North Dakota Association of Oil & Gas
Producing Counties (NDAOGPC), about
a Fargo Forum letter to the editor that was
published on March 4, 2014. The letter was
written by the NDAOGPC on western city,
school and county issues.
Kessel talked about the sunset provision
in House Bill 1358 and how it is impacting
cities’ abilities to get dollars for much needed
infrastructure from lending institutions.
Steiner emphasized that the energy industry
is too important not to get the numbers
right. The oft-quoted $2.5 billion number
for the biennium contains state highway
dollars and some dollars that are for nonoil
county projects. Western North Dakota
received $522 million annually for oil-impacted
political subdivisions.
Mark Your Calendar
for This Year’s Bakken
Rocks CookFest!
Make sure to attend one of the year’s
greatest barbecues at the North Dakota
Petroleum Council’s (NDPC) CookFest!
Mark down these dates and join in on the
fun! CookFest barbecues will take place
July 15 in Kenmare, ND and July 17 in
Dunn Center, ND. More information
will be posted on the NDPC’s website
at www.northdakotaoilcan.com/events/
CookFest as it becomes available, so be
sure to check back for updates as the
CookFest approaches.
Save the Date !
The NDAOGPC 2014 Annual Meeting
date has been set for Thursday, September
18, 2014 at the Grand Williston
Hotel in Williston, ND. Be sure to mark
your calendars for another exciting meeting
lined with speakers, information and
networking opportunities! More details
on hotel arrangements, room blocks,
the registration process, and sponsorship
opportunities will be shared closer to the
event date.
NDAOGPC Accepting Applications
for 2014 Scholarship Awards
Attention North Dakotan students! The North Dakota
Association of Oil & Gas Producing Counties (NDAOGPC)
is once 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 Dakotan
colleges, universities and vocational schools. We strongly
encourage all readers to share this opportunity with anyone who they believe may qualify.
The application can be downloaded at www.ndenergy.org. The deadline for application
submission is June 15, 2014. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to gain financial assistance
for an industry-related education!
128 The Official Publication of the North Dakota Association of Oil & Gas Producing Counties