October E-News

North Dakota Petroleum Council

New members – Thank you to new Petroleum Council members: Atmos International • BoH Energy • Dakota Energy Advisors, LLC • Dakota Blu

ND oil activity – Preliminary production numbers for August 2016 are 981,039 (all-time high was December 2014) from 13,289 (NEW all-time high) wells and 1,639,840 MCFD (all-time high was March 2016) of natural gas. Bakken natural gas captured rate was 89 percent. There are currently 35 rigs active in the state.

Helms wins 2016 E.W. Marland Award – U.S. Senator John Hoeven, and former North Dakota Governor and two-time Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission Chairman, helped present the 2016 E.W. Marland Award to Lynn Helms, director of the Department of Mineral Resources, North Dakota Industrial Commission. Helms has been the director of Division of Oil and Gas in North Dakota since 1998 and was named the director of the Department of Mineral Resources in 2005.

Helms has also been a significant participant in IOGCC and its mission. He was appointed as the official representative by Governor Ed Schafer in 1998 and again by Governor Hoeven in 2004. Helms has been the IOGCC Vice Chair twice and the second vice chair. He is a member of almost all the IOGCC standing committees including Energy Resources, Research and Technology; Legal and Regulatory Affairs; Public Lands and Public Outreach. He has also served the operational committees including Steering, Nominating and Resolutions Committees. He was appointed to the IOGCC Oil Price Differentials Task Force and the IOGCC-EPA Task Force.

“Under his vision and leadership, this historic growth in oil and gas development has changed the dynamics of our state and our nation,” stated Senator Hoeven. “He is an example of integrity, selflessness and desire to serve our state and country.”

Several North Dakotans made a special trip to help recognize Helms including his wife of 33 years, Sally; his childhood best friend, Monte Besler; Chairman of the North Dakota Board of Education, Kathleen Neset; North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring; and other close friends. U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota and North Dakota Governor Dalrymple provided personal video messages to Helms to congratulate him on the well-deserved recognition. Congratulations, Director Helms!

2017 NDDOT Travel Restrictions holiday calendar released – Please see attached document for information on oversite/overweight permitted movements in 2017. 

First 2016 NDPC/BLM Workshop has been confirmed with the BLM National Operation Center – Don Judice, BLM state deputy director, announced, “The BLM is extremely happy to announce that the Automated Fluid Minerals Support System II (AFMSS II) training is confirmed for November 9, 2016 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM in the main conference room in the Montana/Dakotas State Office in Billings.” The National Operations Center (NOC) plans to tailor the training to the specifics of North Dakota. Most of NDFO’s adjudication staff will be present so there will be some great opportunities for interaction between the specific adjudicator that’s assigned to an operator. AFMSS II will update AFMSS, a software system that is used to track oil and gas information on public and Indian land.  It contains data concerning lease and agreement ownership, well identification, location and history, including casing information, geologic formations, resource protection, production, and operator compliance.  The system has an electronic commerce module to interface with the oil and gas industry.  The AFMSS II system will be rolled out in seven modules, with the notice of staking and APD submissions being in the first module.  The AFMSS II system has had many bugs and has not worked well since the first module has been released. The BLM NOC is making their personnel available during this workshop to assist by viewing real world application of the system and discussion specific company’s roadblocks with successful system use.

This workshop is not yet full, so if you are interested in attending please contact Kay Roth at kroth@ndoil.org.

Diane Friez, BLM district manager, mentioned that some one-on-one time will be set aside at the end of the meeting or the following day. Please let Kari (kcutting@ndoil.org) know if you are interested in setting up a company specific time to discuss your AFMSS II issues with BLM NOC personnel on Thursday, November 10, 2016.

Veterans Employers Summit to Provide Resources and Tools for Recruiting Service Members to Workforce – Employers are willing to hire veterans, but the resources, tools and practices to recruit them are often weak. To help employers better translate veterans’ skills from military to civilian terms and provide additional learning opportunities, several organizations, including Fortis Energy Services, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Job Service North Dakota, Minot State University and the North Dakota Petroleum Council are teaming up to host the inaugural Veteran Employer Summit.

The half-day event will include discussions on recruiting veterans, understanding how military skills fit with hiring needs, dispelling myths of veteran mental health issues, and continued education opportunities and partnerships for businesses and veterans.  The summit will take place on November 10, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Minot State University Student Center in Minot, N.D. Registration for the event is free and all business owners, human resource professionals, recruiters, decision makers and others involved or interested in veteran employee recruitment and retention in any industry are encouraged to attend.

To sponsor, learn more about the event or register, click here or search “Veteran Friendly Employer Summit” at www.evenbrite.com.

NDPC Members Outlined Concerns of BLM Waste Prevention Rule with White House Office of Management and Budget – Members of the NDPC Flaring Task Force and Regulatory Committee met with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) last week to discuss concerns regarding the BLM Waste Prevention Rule. Among the major issues with the rule are its redundancy to other federal and state regulations, its reliance on inefficient and uneconomic remote capture technologies and inaccurate and flawed analysis of the rule’s costs and impacts to the economy. To read more about the rule and the meeting, click here.

NDSU Extension Service hosting land reclamation meeting – A program entitled Land Reclamation: Developing Your Plan will be hosted on November 2 at the Williston Research Extension Center in Williston, ND. The event will take place from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. CT, with lunch provided by the Williams County Soil Conservation District. Preregister by call the Williams County Extension office at 701.557.4595 before October 27.

North Dakota Safety Council to host event – NDSC is hosting a free Critical Issues event in Williston on October 26 from 11:30am-1pm. The title of the event is: New Rules Mean Big Changes. Are You Ready? An update on OSHA’s confined space construction and recordkeeping standards. A free lunch will also be included for all attendees. More information by contacting Serena Schmit at serenas@ndsc.org

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.  Upcoming trainings are listed below:

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

November 15-18, 2016          Oklahoma City, OK

Click here to register.
2017 Pipeline Safety Compliance Training – Liquid (3.5 days) $1895

January 10-13, 2017            Oklahoma City, OK

Click here to register.

Contact Information: Email at PipelineSafetyCompliance@dot.gov or call (405) 954-5898.

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

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.