Inside

ND Petroleum Council reaches out
By Cecile Wehrman
It’s a simple message.
Oil Can!
And it’s the name of the
North Dakota Petroleum
Council’s effort to “engage
and educate” the public
about the oil industry.
The petroleum council
seeks to do that in a number
of ways, said Ron Ness,
executive director.
“There are three guiding
principles,” he said.
Listen First
The first thing the organization
aims to do is to be a
good listener.
They’ve strived to do that,
Ness said, through 25 town
hall meetings across the oil
patch in the past few years.
Similarly, they conducted
a survey last fall to try to
identify hot topics as well as
the public’s general perception
of the oil industry.
Develop partnerships
Second, the council determined
partnerships should
be developed, particularly
on issues relating to roads.
Ness said the development
of a county road
task force is a case in
point.
“We’re going to sit
down and create a
regular dialog with
the counties,” he said,
especially given the
extreme road situations
that developed
with record moisture
this spring and summer.
Ness would like to
see the council facilitate
relationships between
companies and
local governments to
work on road repairs.
Further, he wants to
see a one-stop shop
for truckers to access
road closure information.
A focus on best
practices, including
reducing speed to
reduce damage and
zero tolerance for infractions
are other aspects being
looked at.
Respect others
The third principle is to
respect others. Ness said the
council does that by offering
education and reaching out
to the communities impacted
by oil.
The Bakken Rocks Cookfests
is a way to draw
people out to access
some of the information
the council has
to offer.
“We hold our ‘Bakken
Basics’ education
sessions and they’ve
been wildly popular,”
Ness said.
The sessions,
which will run from
2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
on Tuesday, July 26,
will feature a number
of oil industry professionals
talking about
everything from geology
to pipelines.
“We have found
that there is an
incredible curiosity,”
Ness said, among
people who want to
know what the oil
industry is all about.
That’s partly because
many people
have a mineral interest in the
area, but also because everyone
is impacted in some way
or another by the work going
on in the oil patch.
Ness encourages everyone
in the community to take
part in the cookfest, which
includes free food and fun
for all.
“When we do these cookfests
it’s a chance for the
companies to ‘put a face on’
to the community,” he said.
“Everyone is welcome to
attend.”
A number of teams will
partner an oil field explorer
with service industry partner
to produce different
types of food.
In addition, many will offer
merchandise give-aways or
activities for kids, including
face painting and a rock
climbing wall.
“It really is kind of a carnival,”
he said, with a family
friendly atmosphere. “We’re
very strict on these that
they’re alcohol-free events.”
As well, “Each operator
provides an ‘experience’ at
their booth. We judge them
on the experience,” Ness
said, and the winners among
the operators also receive
prizes.
3 rd Annual Bakken Rocks
COOKFEST
Good food - Good fun -
Lots to learn for everyone!
No alcohol permitted
N O R T H D A K O T A
PETROLEUM
C O U N C I L
July 26
5:00 - 8:00 p.m. CDT
July 28
5:00 - 8:00 p.m. CDT
Crosby
Pioneer Village
Watford City
McKenzie Co. Fairgrounds
Bakken Basics Education Sessions will be held at both locations
from 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. CDT.
Crosby - Pioneer Village
Watford City - McKenzie Co. Fairgrounds (4H/Gymnastics Building)
More info available at
WWW.NDOIL.ORG
Minot
Tioga
Stanley
Williston
Dickinson
Beach
Watford City
www.powerfuels.com
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