December 1, 2017
Legislators Hear Minot’s Hub City Case

Members of the ND Legislature’s interim Energy Development and Transmission Committee spent a day and a half this week touring various oil industry operations and municipal infrastructure projects in Minot to get a clear picture of industry impacts in the city.
 
City Manager Tom Barry told legislators Minot's population has grown about the same amount as Williston and Dickinson, but the impacts weren’t as noticeable because Minot is a larger city. Nonetheless, Barry said Minot has had to make a lot of investments to handle the influx of industrial activity.
 
Click here to listen to Barry’s comments.
 
Senator Rich Wardner, who chairs the EDT Committee, said it’s important to continue Hub City funding to support growth in oil-impacted communities. Click here to listen to Wardner’s comments.
 
Wardner said adequate funding is important not just to provide vital infrastructure, but to make the cities a place where oil industry employees want to live. Click here to listen to Wardner’s comments.
 
Senator Wardner made his comments on the radio program What’s on Your Mind. Barry was a guest on the radio program Energy Matters.

Click here to view or download (176 MB) Minot's presentation materials.
 
Click here for KX News story on the Hub City hearing.  
NW Landowners to Host Land Use Workshop
 
The Northwest Landowners Association is bringing a nationally-recognized land use planning expert to Minot next week to show local government leaders how they can best protect the rights of property owners in their area.
 
Karen Budd-Falen will lead the workshop December 6 at the Grand Hotel in Minot. Budd-Falen, who is rumored to be under consideration by the Trump Administration to head the Bureau of Land Management, has spent years pushing for major changes to federal control of public lands. 

NWLA Chairman Troy Coons said the workshop is a great opportunity for local government officials throughout the region to learn how to retain control over local land use decisions.

Click here to listen to Coons’ comments.

The cost to attend the workshop is $115 per person. For more information contact NWLA Executive Director Amy Shelton.
Bowman Moving Ahead on Industrial Park
 
Community and economic development leaders in Bowman County hope the completion of a new industrial park next year will help grow and diversify the local economy.
 
Teran Doerr, Executive Director of the Bowman County Development Corporation, said the 150-acre site will eventually have every component of infrastructure a new or expanding business would need. Doerr said the opportunity to develop the industrial park presented itself when the decision was made to relocate Bowman’s airport.  

Click here to listen to Doerr’s comments.

Doerr said one of the group’s first recruitment targets will be existing Bowman County businesses that may have interest in expansion or diversification. She made her comments on the radio program Energy Matters, which airs every Tuesday from 3:00–5:00 CST on KFYR and KLTC Radio. It is rebroadcast Saturday on WZFG and KTGO Radio.
Kroshus: Baseload Power Should Be Rewarded
 
There’s a growing concern among operators of baseload coal-fired electric generating units that the financial viability of the plants could be at risk due to the changing nature of electric markets.
 
The threat to baseload generation recently prompted US Energy Secretary Rick Perry to urge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider measures to ensure grid reliability.
 
ND Public Service Commissioner Brian Kroshus agrees steps should be taken to protect baseload units, but he said the real cause of the problem are subsidies to renewable generation that have distorted the electric market.
 
Click here to listen to Kroshus’ comments.
 
Grid reliability and electric markets have been a study topic for the ND EmPower Commission, which made a presentation in October to the ND Legislature’s interim Energy Development and Transmission Committee. The EDT Committee will discuss the subject further at its next meeting January 24.
Members Voice -- Billings County
Bridge Hearings Planned for January

Planning and reviewing options for the controversial bridge over the Little Missouri River in northern Billings County are continuing.

Jennifer Turnbull with Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson said the draft Environmental Impact Statement has been reviewed by agencies that are involved. She said public hearings will be scheduled after the first of the year.

Click here to read the full Billings County Member's Voice.
OPEC Votes to Maintain Production Cuts
OPEC officials agreed this week to extend their production pact to the end of 2018, but will review the agreement in June to evaluate market conditions and progress towards re-balancing supply and demand.

The official statement from OPEC reads,"In view of the uncertainties associated mainly with supply and, to some extent, demand growth it is intended that in June 2018, the opportunity of further adjustment actions will be considered based on prevailing market conditions and the progress achieved towards re-balancing of the oil market at that time "

The OPEC announcement is here.
U.S. Gasoline Exports Exceed Imports

Energy independence has become a greater reality as the U.S. exports more Bakken crude and refined petroleum products to China and other nations.

Despite record high gasoline consumption, the US is on pace to export more gasoline than it imports for the second year in a row.

Last year the U.S. became a net exporter of gasoline and the Energy Information Administration says it will happen again this year.

Read the EIA report here.
Keystone Reopened after South Dakota Spill

TransCanada continues clean up and remediation work at the site of an oil leak on the Keystone Pipeline in South Dakota, as the pipeline was brought back into service this week.

TransCanada's repair and restart plans were reviewed by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration with no objections. The agency agreed to a controlled return to service of the Keystone system. As part of the reviewed plans, TransCanada started moving oil through the pipeline at a reduced pressure this week. The company will also run an inspection device through the system to detect any similar issues.

TransCanada reports it has recovered nearly a quarter of the oil spilled near Amherst, South Dakota where the leak released about 5,000 barrels of oil.

Read more here.
Fedorchak Appointed to MISO Advisory Board

ND Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak has been
appointed Secretary of the Organization of MISO States.

MISO, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, is responsible for reliable operation of the regional electric grid owned by member utilities in 15 states including North Dakota. 

The appointment also gives Fedorchak a spot on the MISO Advisory Committee, which advises the MISO Governing Board.

“This new position gives North Dakota a stronger voice for influencing the decisions made by both organizations that stand to have a big impact on people," Fedorchak said.

Read more here.
Quick Connect


  • Old injury to blame for Keystone South Dakota leak -- KHQ News






  • Sandpiper pipeline project put on hold -- KX News
Factoid of the Week

LED Christmas lights save money. A typical U.S. home will have one wreath, one string of garland, 10 strings of light and two outdoor decorations. Using incandescent lights, that home will spend $10.78 lighting the Christmas decorations. Using LED lights that same home will spend just $1.63.

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Lignite Energy Council Quarterly Meeting
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Jamestown

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Oil prices and rig count

December 1, 2017

WTI Crude: $58.28
Brent Crude: $63.66
Natural Gas: $3.06

       North Dakota Active Rigs: 54 (unch)      12/1/16 -- 39 rigs
Geoff Simon
Editor/Executive Director

Mike Kopp, Editor
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