ND oil activity – Preliminary production numbers for June 2016 are 1,026,584 (all-time high was December 2014) from 13,239 (NEW all-time high) wells and 1,662,025 MCFD (all-time high was March 2016) of natural gas. Bakken natural gas captured rate was 91 percent. There are currently 32 rigs active in the state.

Still a few spots available in the ND Oil PAC Medora Golf Tournament– Registration for the 2016 ND Oil PAC Golf Tournament is open and there are still a few spots available. The tournament will feature a meet and greet with special guest Brent Sanford, candidate for Lt. Governor and Watford City Mayor. Registration information and schedule is available at www.ndoil.org or by clicking here. The tournament will be held on August 25 at the Bully Pulpit Golf Course in Medora, ND. Registration is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Raising money to support business friendly candidates through our PAC is more important than ever, and we hope to see you in Medora. Thank you to Wyoming Casing and MBI for providing dinner at the event!

NDPC Annual Meeting registration now open – Registration for the 2016 North Dakota Petroleum Council Annual Meeting IS NOW OPEN. The meeting will be held September 19-21 at the Holiday Inn Riverside in Minot, ND, and will cost $250 (members) or $500 (non-members) to attend. Sponsorships will be available for $500-2,000. For more information, please visit https://annualmeeting.risprojects.org for more information or to register on July 27. Thank you to our current sponsors!

CookFest a success – An estimated 1,800 people came out to the 8th Annual Bakken Rocks CookFests despite the heat to take advantage of information sessions, live entertainment from area musicians and, of course, free BBQ and food served up by the industry’s best cooks.

The popular event, now in its 8th year, was held in Mandaree on July 19 and Stanley on July 21.  Twenty-six companies in Mandaree and 21 companies in Stanley cooked up more than 1,500 pounds of meat, including 130 pounds of brisket, 670 pounds of pork, 150 pounds of shrimp, 110 pounds of steak, 100 pounds of taco meat, 80 pounds of sausage, as well as 160 racks of ribs, 500 pork chops, and more than 400 brats.

Thank you to our volunteers for helping organize and work the events and congratulations to our winning Cook Teams!

Thousands raised for conservation – 195 anglers hit Lake Sakakawea for the 4th Annual Oil Can! Fishing Derby on July 20, helping raise more than $13,000 for organizations dedicated to preserving habitat and conservation projects in western North Dakota, including the Friends of Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota Game and Fish and the Mule Deer Foundation.

A majority of the proceeds will go to the MDF to help the Richards Ranch Project, a 22,000-acre area north of Beach, ND that will be rehabilitated and put into the PLOTS program for 10 years. This is the largest project of its kind in the program’s history and brought together a diverse group of organizations to support it, including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Pheasants Forever, Wild Turkey Federation, Bobcat Doosan, JMAC, XTO Energy, Hess Corporation, and the North Dakota Petroleum Council. It’s kind of a big deal to hundreds of avid sportsmen, so learn more about the project and how you can help here.
Mule Deer weren’t the only winners. Five teams did net enough walleyes to bring home a small prize and bragging rights. Congratulations to our placing teams:

1st PLACE:  Daniel Nitsch (LTR), Rick Ellingson (Oasis Petroleum), and Rich Aisenbrey (LTR) – 17.27 pounds (pictured at right)
2nd PLACE:  Tyler Dokken (Hess), Jason Haugen, and Alex Vournas (Mountrail-Williams Electric) – 16.92 pounds
3rd PLACE:  Steve Hackley (Double EE Service Inc.), Mark Schaubhut (Double EE Service Inc.), and Derek McKeil (Double EE Service Inc.) – 16.59 pounds
4th PLACE:  Andrew Fisketjon (Petrol Shield) and Justin Scarborough (Petrol Shield) – 16.36 pounds
5th PLACE:  Scott Meschke (Kirkwood Bank and Trust), Matthew Kostelecky (BJ Kadrmas Inc.), and Brad Miller (Kirkwood Bank and Trust) – 16.10 pounds

The biggest walleye, weighing in at 6.02 pounds, was caught by the team of Craig Gaube, Kurt Ruzicka and Jason Sackman of Corval Group.

Pipeline safety compliance training – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (US DOT) Transportation Safety Institute conducts Pipeline Safety Compliance Training specially designed for the energy industry.  This course will familiarize participants with US DOT pipeline safety regulations and acute, critical, and serious safety violations.  This course is designed to assist pipeline safety personnel with fewer than 10 years industry experience.  If you are responsible for oversight of pipeline safety and regulatory compliance, this course will be invaluable to your success.  Email at PipelineSafetyCompliance@dot.gov or call (405) 954-5898 for more information. Upcoming trainings are listed below:

2016 Pipeline Safety Compliance Training – Gas (3.5 days) $1895

August 23-26, 2016           Oklahoma City, OK

Click here to register.

Wilson M. Laird Core and Sample Library dedication – The Wilson M. Laird Core and Sample Library will be dedicated on Monday, September 26, 2016, and you’re invited. The program will be held from 2-3 p.m. Central time, with tours of the facility offered from 3-5 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Confirmed speakers include Governor Dalrymple, Attorney General Stenehjem, Agriculture Commissioner Goehring, UND President Mark Kennedy, and North Dakota State Senator Ray Holmberg. Visit https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ for updates.

Mark your calendar – The 2016 schedule of events has been released. Please add the following NDPC event to your calendar:

• August 25 – ND Oil PAC Medora Golf Tournament, Bully Pulpit, Medora (expanded to a two-day event for 2016, registration opens at www.ndoil.org in late July)
• September 19-21 – Annual Meeting, Holiday Inn Riverside, Minot

More information will be available on each event as the date approaches at www.ndoil.org and www.northdakotaoilcan.com.

Receive OGRP Quarterly – OGRP Quarterly is produced by the Oil and Gas Research Program to provide periodic information and updates on Program activities to the citizens of North Dakota. This quarter, we decided to put a special focus on select, current Oil & Gas Research Program (OGRP) projects to give the reader a flavor of the advancements being made to more effectively produce North Dakota’s oil and gas resources.

If you would like to be added to the newsletter distribution list, provide your email address to: brentbrannan@gmail.com with the subject line “Distribution List” or visit oilresearch.nd/gov. A link to the newsletter can be found at https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ogr/News.aspx

NDPA Monthly Update – View the North Dakota Pipeline Authority’s monthly update here.