June 2017 E-News

ND Oil Activity – Preliminary production numbers for April 2017 are 1,050,630 barrels/day (all-time high was December 2014) from 13,717 (NEW all-time high) wells and 1,836,308 MCFD (NEW all-time high) of natural gas. Bakken natural gas captured rate was 91 percent. There are currently 51 rigs active in the state.

Staff Changes – The North Dakota Petroleum council had a couple of staff changes this month. We welcomed Tiffany Steiner as our Membership and Marketing Manager. A North Dakota native, Tiffany graduated from Montana State University-Billings with a Psychology degree. She joins our team with over five years of experience in Marketing & Events from MBI Energy Services. She is excited to begin her new journey with the NDPC and looks forward to meeting new faces in the oil and gas industry. Welcome, Tiffany!

We are also saying good-bye to Alexis Brinkman-Baxley. Alexis has served as NDPC’s Government Affairs Manager for over five years. Alexis did great work keeping members informed and engaged on legislative, tribal and other issues. Alexis ran our golf and sporting clays events, and she was the one who came up with and developed “Pick Up the Patch!” Best wishes to Alexis in her new role leading the North Dakota School Boards Association.

Register for Dugout Night – ND Oil PAC has added a new event to its summer lineup for 2017! We’ve reserved the Dugout Club at the Bismarck Larks for July 24. The first 40 tickets sold will be $40, and will increase to $50 after that. Each ticket includes seven drink tickets, an all-you-can-eat ballpark buffet, and unlimited water and soda. This will be a great networking event and a good time! Space is limited. Tickets are on sale and more information is available at www.ndoil.org/dugout-night.

Sign Up for the 9^th Annual Bakken Rocks CookFest! – The Bakken Rocks CookFest will be held in Westhope on July 18 and Medora on July 20. You still have time to sign up to participate.

Each event will begin with a Bakken Basics Information Session from 2-4 p.m. local time followed by the BBQ, live music and games for kids from 4-7 p.m. Visit www.energyofnorthdakota.com/BakkenRocksCookFest for more details.

Companies wishing to cook for this event may team up with up to two other companies, but they are responsible for assembling their own teams and all participants must be North Dakota Petroleum Council members. There is no entry fee, but all participating teams are responsible for bringing their own food, plates, utensils, drinks, etc.

To sign up, contact Tessa Sandstrom at tsandstrom@ndoil.org.

Thank You Denver Social Sponsors – Thank you to all of our Denver Social sponsors! We had a great turnout, and a fantastic event!

2017 Western North Dakota Charity Pro-Am Sponsor/Player Opportunities – The 2017 Western ND Charity Pro-Am will take place in Minot at the Vardon Golf Club August 17-20^th. Through the generous support of its sponsors, the Pro-Am has given back $1.6 million since its inception in 1982 to groups that focus on young people, the underprivileged and those with disabilities and special needs. In 2017, $50,000 was dispersed to charities and non-profits throughout the Bakken, including organizations in Minot, Bismarck, Williston, Dickinson, Ray, Tioga, Westhope, Belfield & Bottineau.

Sponsor/Player Opportunities: (All sponsors will be listed on sponsor sign that remains up for rest of the golf season on the pro-shop):

• Hole sponsorship – $1,000/hole – colored, logo sign on hole and tee markers and prominent/larger placement on sponsor sign that remains up through end of golf season.
• Regular/Player Sponsor – $500/player. Amateur teams of three will be paired with a Pro the first two days with an amateur cut after Friday’s round. 3-person amateur teams can be picked/designated by sponsors prior to the tournament and can be from different sponsors. Qualifying amateurs will play Saturday morning. Cash & Pro-Shop prizes for players. Pro Calcutta on Thursday night (August 17^th).
• Non-Player Sponsorship available also for $500

For further information please contact John Zimmerman at jonaszim@hotmail.com.

Gas Tax Rate Notice – In keeping with the provisions of North Dakota Century Code § 57-51-02.2, the Tax Commissioner has determined that the gas tax rate for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018, is $.0.0555 per mcf. The gross production tax on gas produced during this time period must be calculated by taking the taxable production in mcf times the $.0555 tax rate.

For your information, the gas tax rate for fiscal year 2018 was determined by the following steps:

STEP 1 – The annual average of the gas fuels producer price index, commodity code 05-3, as published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for calendar year 2016 was computed from the data shown below.

STEP 2 – A gas base rate adjustment of 1.3871 was computed by dividing the annual average price index by the denominator specified in the statute, i.e., 105.0 divided by 75.7.

STEP 3 – The gas tax rate of $.0555 was computed by multiplying $.04 times the gas base rate adjustment of 1.3871, with the resultant rounded to four places after the decimal.

The gas tax rate is also published on the Office of State Tax Commissioner’s website located at: www.nd.gov/tax. If you have any questions regarding this notification, please contact the Oil and Gas Tax Section at 701-328-3657 or by email at oiltax@nd.gov.

Volunteer for the Deer – The Mule Deer Foundation will hold its Annual Work Day at the Richards Ranch near Beach, ND, on Saturday, July 15 and is looking for workers to assist with the reclamation project. Work, including clearing brush, putting up fence and other projects will begin in the morning and go through the afternoon. If you are unable to make it or send a team out to help, they are also looking for either cookers or sponsors to help provide lunch and dinner for volunteers. For more information, contact Tessa at tsandstrom@ndoil.org or Marshall Johnson at marshall@muledeer.org.

NDPC Fishing Derby Registration open for past participants – Registration opens to all registrants June 1 – The NDPC Bakken Classic Fishing Derby (formerly the Oil Can! Fishing Derby) will be held July 19 at Four Bears Casino Marina. Registration is currently open for past participants and will open to any new participants on June 1. More information is available at https://energyofnorthdakota.com/BakkenClassicFishingDerby/.

FLIR Training – NDPC has again negotiated a 50% discount for FLIR/OGI certification. If you are interested in being certified for Optical Gas Imaging using Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), please consider attending a certification class starting September 11, 2017. This class lasts for 2.5 days, and will be a hands-on educational opportunity to provide to you or your personnel the same Certification obtained by the North Dakota Department of Health field inspectors. The class will be held in Bismarck, ND (exact location TBD) at a cost of $995/person. The normal class price is $1995. If you are interested, please contact Kay Roth at kroth@ndoil.org.

Energy Industry Internships – Is your company looking for interns for the upcoming summer? If so, please contact Kay Roth at ndpc@ndoil.org. NDPC would like to compile a list of available internships as we are often contacted by students looking for energy industry experience.

NDPC Announces New Awards Program for Industry Leaders – The North Dakota Petroleum Council is excited to announce a new awards program that will recognize individuals for outstanding achievements within and on behalf of the industry. In this inaugural year for these awards, nominations will be sought in three categories:

• Excellence in Safety Award
• Environmental Stewardship Award
• Community Engagement Award

Nominations are now open for the awards and will be accepted through June 30, 2017. There is no cost to the event and individuals or companies may nominate themselves. The winners will be honored at the NDPC Annual Meeting in Grand Forks, ND during the NDPC Industry Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. Nominees must be NDPC members or employees of NDPC member companies. For more information on awards categories, to view the nomination criteria or submit a nomination, click here.

Dakota Energy Festival – The Dakota Energy Festival (DEF) is looking for sponsors and exhibitors. The DEF is raising awareness and funds for North Dakota’s veterans through partnerships with the Williams County Veterans affairs office and USEnergy.org. The event will be held in Williston, ND August 4-5 and will include a fishing tournament, job fair workforce expo, concerts and a fish fry. Ticket bundles, expo booths and sponsorship packages range from $1,000 to $10,000. For more information, please contact Roland Marmon at 303.906.7337 or visit usenergytour.com/Dakota.

IOGCC seeks Chairman’s Stewardship nominations – The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission is seeking nominations for the 2017 Chairman’s Stewardship Awards. The awards recognize achievement and challenge organizations, companies and individuals nationwide to demonstrate innovation, dedication and passion for our environment. The winners will be honored at the IOGCC Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, October 1-3. All nominations received will be mentioned in the Winners Booklet along with project title. All past winners and their projects will also be mentioned in the Winners Booklet.

You may apply on your behalf or nominate another project. Past winners are encouraged to apply with new projects. Projects should be nominated in one of the following categories: Energy Education, Environmental Partnership, Small Company and Large Company. For more information or to request a nomination form visit iogcc.ok.gov/chairmansstewardship or call Carol Booth at 405-525-3556 ext. 114.

Meetings Planned and Funds Available for North Dakota Apprenticeships – The North Dakota Department of Commerce and its partners have teamed up to host apprenticeship accelerator information meetings. The meetings are focused on creating non-traditional apprenticeships in the manufacturing, energy, IT and healthcare industries. Mark your calendars to attend the date and location that is best suited to you:

• Bismarck | June 27 | 9 am – 12 pm

Bismarck Public Schools Career Academy, Bismarck State College

• Grand Forks | July 11 | 1 pm – 4 pm

UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences

• Fargo | July 12 | 9 am -12 pm

NDSCS, Fargo Location

• Minot | July 25 | 9 am – 12 pm

Grand Hotel

• Williston | August 15 | 1 pm – 4 pm

TrainND Workforce Training Centre

• Dickinson | August 16 | 9 am – 12 pm MDT

Elks Lodge #1137

Hazardous Materials Disaster Preparedness Symposium – TrainND-Northwest is hosting the first annual Hazardous Materials Disaster Preparedness Symposium in Williston, ND on June 27, 2017. The purpose is to bring industry, public emergency response officials, and interested parties together to share ideas and plans for dealing with events that lead to the release of hazardous materials.

Who should attend?

• Emergency Response Managers and Planners
• Industry Safety Managers and Directors
• Public Safety Personnel
• Fire and Disaster Response Personnel
• LEPC Leaders and Members
• Hazmat Response Team Members
• State and Local Emergency Response Coordinators and Planners
• Federal Emergency Response Personnel
• Environmental Health and Safety Consultants
• Hazmat Transportation Organization Representatives

This event has been approved by Williston State College and the ND POST Board for Continuing Education Credits. Montana law enforcement officers will be able to apply for credit through the MT POST Board as well.

Take advantage of the early bird registration of $89 per person, good until June 9th! After June 9th, registration is $129 per person. You may register online at www.willistonstate.edu/trainnd or simply call our office at 701-572-2835. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hawthorn Suites, 701-577-3701, for $85/night. Reference HazMat Symposium. Release date is June 9^th.

ND Land Board to seek applicants for trust lands commissioner – State officials approved a short-term extension for the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands commissioner’s appointment Thursday, May 25, but also decided to open up applications for the position. Lance Gaebe, whose term was up at the end of June before Thursday’s action by the Board of University of School Lands, said he intends to reapply for the position. He said there hasn’t been a formal performance review on his position since he took the job in 2010.

The Land Board voted unanimously Thursday to extend Gaebe’s appointment until the end of the year or until a potential new commissioner is named. Governor Doug Burgum, who chairs the five-member Land Board, said Cabinet members were asked to reapply for their positions after he took office in December. Gaebe is not a member of Burgum’s Cabinet but is appointed by the Land Board, which is made up of the governor, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, state treasurer and attorney general.

The Department of Trust Lands is responsible for managing the permanent educational trust funds and assets under the Land Board’s control. It also manages sovereign mineral acres and operates the Unclaimed Property Division and the Energy Infrastructure and Impact Office. Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki didn’t have details Friday, May 26, on a timeline for the application process. (Excerpt from a John Hageman story in the Grand Forks Herald. For the full story, click here.)

Mark Your Calendar – The 2017 schedule of events has been released. Please add the following NDPC events to your calendar:

• June 19-22: NDPC Teacher Education Seminar – Bismarck State College, Bismarck, ND
• July 18: Bakken Rocks CookFest – Westhope, ND
• July 19: Bakken Classic Fishing Tournament – Four Bears Marina, New Town, ND
• July 20: Bakken Rocks CookFest – Medora, ND
• July 24: ND Oil PAC Dugout Night, Bismarck Larks Baseball Event – Bismarck, ND *NEW*
• August 23: ND Oil PAC Golf Tournament – Bully Pulpit, Medora, ND
• September 26-28: NDPC Annual Meeting – Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND

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.

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