North Dakota Oil News

New Members – Thanks to the new Petroleum Council members Bison Engineering, Inc., Corval Group, Inc. and supporting member Prudential Financial Services.

Health Department Urges Well Registration for Air Quality - Recently, areas in Wyoming and Colorado that are associated with oil and gas production have been found to be in violation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The emissions from the oil and gas production facilities are a significant part of the cause of the nonattainment in those states. In North Dakota, we are seeing a significant increase in oil and gas activity. At this time, the increase in activity is not expected to significantly affect the air quality, as long as each company is maintaining compliance at well sites. The North Dakota Department of Health wants to remind the oil and gas industry of the importance of compliance. Requirements for production facilities are listed under Chapter 33-15-20 of the North Dakota Air Pollution Control Rules. The owner or operator of any oil or gas well production facility must submit an oil and gas well registration form and an analysis of any gas produced from the well within 90 days of the completion or recompletion of the well. This registration form can be found at the North Dakota Department of Health website at http://www.ndhealth.gov/AQ/OilAndGasWells.htm. The Department has updated the registration form to include an estimate of volatile organic compound emissions for each oil and gas production facility. We appreciate the efforts taken by the oil and gas industry to achieve compliance and maintain air quality. Any questions regarding the above information may be addressed to the North Dakota Department of Health, Division of Air Quality. You may contact Todd Peterson, Air Quality Division, at (701) 328-5188.

Bakken VOC Task Force – The Petroleum Council is forming a VOC Task Force for Bakken operators to exchange technology ideas for capturing vapors from storage tanks. The Task Force will meet throughout the winter and hold an Industry/Agency Technology Exchange Meeting in Bismarck on March 23, 2010 (details on the meeting will be provided at a later date). Bakken operators are invited to join the Task Force and the next meeting date is January 12 at 9:00 a.m. in Denver at the Whiting Oil & Gas office. Bakken operators wanting to join the Task Force can contact the Petroleum Council or the Task Force Chairman, Brent Miller, Operations Manager for Whiting Oil & Gas at 303-390-4246.

State Land Sale Sets Record – The November 3 State Land Sale brought in a record $71.6 million. The average acre went for $1,214 for almost 59,000 acres of land in 12 counties. In Mountrail County, about 9,600 acres were leased for an average of $3,605 an acre. Records were broken in both the statewide per-acre average and the total dollars raised.
ND State Land Commissioner Position Open – The State of North Dakota has an opening for the Commissioner of University and School Lands. Interested applicants must apply by submitting a completed State of North Dakota Application for Employment form (SFN 10950), a letter of application, and a resumé including three professional references to: Kate O'Neill, Human Resource Management Services, 600 E Blvd. Ave. Dept 113, Bismarck ND 58505-0120. Application materials can also be emailed to koneill@nd.gov, and must be received by 5:00 p.m. CST on December 15, 2009 to be considered. Application forms are available at any North Dakota Job Service location, Human Resource Management Services located on the 14th floor of the ND State Capitol building, or on the web at http://www.nd.gov/hrms/jobs/appforms.html.
Gardner Walkup Latest Keynote Speaker for the 2010 WBPC – Gardner Walkup, Jr., IHS CERA Vice President, has been added to the list of keynote speakers who have committed to speak at the 2010 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference. He will be joining North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, Clarence Cazalot, CEO of Marathon Oil Company, and Jim Volker, CEO of Whiting Oil & Gas. The Conference will be held May 2-4, 2010 in Bismarck. Exhibit reservations, sponsorships, and hotel rooms will be available January 13, 2010.

Denver Social -- Mark Your Calendar – The Petroleum Council Board of Directors will be hosting its annual “Denver Social” in Denver, CO, Tuesday, March 16, 2010. All members and non-members with oil and gas interests in North Dakota are invited to attend. More information will be provided as the date approaches.

McKenzie County Recorder Offers E-Recording Service – E-Recording is the process of recording documents electronically using a web-based service. McKenzie County has partnered with Simplifile, a leader in electronic document filing and recording services. This service will accelerate document recording, increase office productivity, and actually increase the security of the documents being filed.

It is important that real estate, mineral and real property documents get recorded quickly, especially in the oil producing counties. E-Recording will provide quicker notice to the public of interest and business transactions. Documents can be received, recorded and returned all in one day. Electronic recording will alleviate the problems associated with rejected documents for such things as a shortage of recording fees, as an ACH deposit account is set up as part of Simplifile’s service -- the additional money will always be available. The submitter also signs a statement of assurance with Simplifile and the County that all documents being submitted by E-Recording meet all the NDCC requirements. A document cannot be E-Recorded that would not be accepted as if sent through the mail or come over the counter in the courthouse. E-Recording is a new option for submitters. It will not replace any of the current ways of submitting documents through the mail, courier service, or across the counter. It only offers a new way to do business. McKenzie County, Cass County, and Burleigh County all accept E-Recordings at this time. More counties will be moving forward in the near future. If you have questions, contact Ann Johnsrud, McKenzie County Recorder at ajohnsrud@co.mckenzie.nd.us.

Petroleum Council Hires Communications Manager – Kelly Jo Wald has joined the Petroleum Council as the Communications Manager. She is a native of Wishek, ND and a graduate of the University of Mary in Bismarck with a degree in business communications. Kelly has a background in the energy industry as a former communications staff intern at Basin Electric Power Cooperative. She brings with her experience in industry writing, web site content development, graphic design and photography. Welcome, Kelly Jo!

PCOR Annual Meeting - The 2009 EERC’s Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership’s (PCOR) Annual Meeting and Workshops will be held at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis Riverfront in St. Louis, Missouri, December 1–3, 2009, the Hyatt is just steps away from the famous Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium. For more information about the hotel, click here.

“Remember Charlie” Safety Presentations – More than 1,000 people attended the “Remember Charlie” safety presentations this week in Minot, Williston, Dickinson, and Bismarck. Through the Oil Can! program, the Petroleum Council partnered with Workforce, Safety, and Insurance, TrainND, Marathon Oil Company, Minot Area Safety Association, Southwest Area Safety Association, Williston Area Safety Association, Hess Corporation, and Williston Area Economic Development to sponsor the seminars. Thank you to the sponsors, and specifically Workforce Safety and Insurance, who made these seminars possible with a safety grant.


For more information on any of these issues or to be removed from the mailing list, contact the North Dakota Petroleum Council at
(701) 223-6380, ndpc@ndoil.org, or see www.ndoil.org.