Oil Production Driving State Tax Revenue
Tax revenue flowing into the North Dakota treasury is on the upswing, largely driven by higher oil prices and growing production volumes. But state policy makers continue to urge a conservative approach to spending in the coming biennium.
Joe Morrissette, director of the state Office of Management and Budget, said the most closely watched indicator of the state's economic health is sales tax revenue, which he says is heavily influenced by activity in the oil and gas sector.
Click
here to listen to Morrissette's comments.
Morrissette said OMB continues to work with its forecasting consultant, Moody's Analytics, to improve the accuracy of the state's revenue forecasts. He said it's not easy, considering the nature of North Dakota's economy.
Click
here to listen to Morrissette's comments.
Morrissette was interviewed on the Rob (re)Port broadcast on WDAY Radio. Click
here and advance to the 55:25 mark to listen to the full interview.
Despite the improving revenue picture, Governor Doug Burgum said the numbers mean the state needs budget conservatively. Click
here to read the governor's news release.
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Donald Trump Jr. to Headline NDPC Meeting
Donald Trump Jr. will be the featured speaker at this year's annual meeting of the ND Petroleum Council, scheduled September 24-26 in Fargo.
The President's son is scheduled to speak Tuesday morning in remarks focused on growing the U.S. economy. NDPC President Ron Ness expects the younger Trump will deliver a dynamic speech.
Click
here to Ness' comments.
The annual meeting begins at 2:30 on Sept. 24 with the Bakken 2.0 Educational Session at the Sanctuary Events Center in Fargo. Remaining events will be held at the Delta by Marriott.
The agenda features a wide range of topics including updates on the latest technological developments, a discussion of workforce challenges, and a presentation by WDEA consultant Brent Bogar, who will provide a detailed overview of the historic use of oil tax revenue in North Dakota.
Click
here to see the NDPC Annual Meeting agenda.
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WDEA Exec Explains Pitfalls of Measure One
WDEA Executive Director Geoff Simon described numerous problems with Measure One during an interview last week on the television program, Point of View.
Simon, who was interviewed by guest host Scott Hennen, said proponents of the measure may have good intentions, but he said the measure was very poorly written and would result in many unintended consequences. Simon said private citizens could find themselves subject to the same government reporting requirements as registered lobbyists if they spend more than $200 on a trip to the Capitol to testify on a bill.
"The proponents say it wasn't their intent to require that level of disclosure, but that's what the language of the measure would require," Simon said. "And if private citizens didn't disclose their expenses, someone could use the anonymous whistleblower hotline provided in the measure to turn them in to the ethics commission, where they could be subject to an investigation and even face possible criminal charges."
Simon said no one supports unethical behavior in the policy making process, and pointed out there are many anti-corruption laws and reporting requirements in current law. Click
here to see a summary.
Click
here to see the full Point of View interview, which aired on KVLY-TV.
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Council Looks to Solve Workforce Issues
Members of the state's Workforce Development Council are meeting at the Capitol in Bismarck today to brainstorm solutions to the state's labor shortage.
The diverse 32-member
council will split into six breakout groups to tackle different aspects of the workforce challenge, according to Susan Gunsch, director of Job Service North Dakota. The six categories include Health Care/Nursing; IT/Cybersecurity; the Middle Skills Gap; Youth Engagement/Career Exploration; Individuals with Barriers to Employment; and In-Migration/Attracting New Workers.
Gunsch said the breakout groups will review results of a workforce survey distributed earlier this year by the governor's office, as well as a labor availability survey developed by the University of North Dakota. She said the smaller groups planned to meet throughout the day to identify and refine their recommendations, then about mid-afternoon each workgroup will make its presentation to the full group.
The council will eventually develop a final report with its recommendations to Governor Burgum.
Click
here to see a description of the council’s responsibilities.
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Williston TrainND Responds to Employment Needs
Adding curriculum and classes has helped Williston State College’s TrainND program respond to the employment needs of the oil and gas industry.
Williston State College President John Miller said one popular program popular helps equip employees for emerging gas plant operations. The instrumentation and control training is one of two programs that are attracting students.
“When you look at the resurgence in the industry compared to 2012 and 2013, the interest has moved from drilling to refracking," Miller said. .
He said the CDL training program also remains very strong.
“The big story for us in the northwest is the amount of CDL training we're doing. And our crane and rigging courses are popular," Miller said. "It helps that we have a full-size crane in our training yard.”
He said about 75 students are on the waiting list for the CDL training which is booked through November.
Dr. Miller said this fall there are leadership changes in Train ND at Williston. A new director and other positions will help shape the program for the coming year.
Click
here for more information about Williston State College's TrainND program
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Heather Voll Takes Over at Williston Chamber
The new president of the Williston Area Chamber of Commerce said she is “super excited to work with the staff” and the projects ahead for the community.
Heather Voll takes over the reins of the chamber Monday, September 10. Voll has served as the Events & Convention Services Coordinator at the Williston Convention & Visitors Bureau since January 2018. She succeeds Janna Lutz, who had been with the chamber since 2015, but left earlier this year to serve as Foundation Director of CHI St. Alexius Health Foundation in Williston.
Voll said one of the attractions of the position is how vibrant and energetic the area business community is. Economic development groups, local chambers and business groups are doing a lot for small and large businesses in the area, she said.
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Bakken Oil Products Show in Three Weeks
Registration opened this week for the 8th annual Bakken Oil Product and Service Show to be held Oct. 3 and 4 at the Raymond Family Community Center in Williston.
Organizer Jeff Zarling said the makeup of the Bakken oil industry has changed and that’s an incentive to attract people to the event.
“People rely on our show to see what and who is here," he said. "There are many new exhibitors and people in new positions.”
Zarling said networking is a big part of the event. A strong mix of "boots on the ground" exhibitors and attendees is what makes the show unique.
The Bakken Oil Product and Service Show is set for You can learn more about the Bakken Oil Products and Service show by clicking this
link.
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Bowman to Help Teacher's School Loans
Teachers in the Bowman County School district could see a limited perk extend to more teachers in the district.
Superintendent Steve Bannon wants to see every teacher carrying a student loan balance receive an annual payment to go directly to the balance of the loan. Bannon said, “To have the district and the community show appreciation is a true pat on the back for what they (the teachers) are doing.”
The state has a similar program in place, but only two teachers in a district are eligible. Bannon said that was what prompted his idea to get the community behind the idea. He is actively working to attract local donors in the community to contribute to the pool of money that will be used to make annual payments. It will help more than just the two teachers who are helped from the state program. When he first came to Bowman, he was asked to pick the two teachers to get the award. “It’s hard to pick just two. It is needed by more than just two.”
Bannon said there are at least ten teachers in the Bowman school district who are carrying large student loans, some over $20,000. He said he hopes to see each teacher carrying a student loan to get at least $1,000 applied to the principal of the loan before Thanksgiving.
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Quick Connect
- Corps: No new impacts found in Dakota Access pipeline review -- AP
- Even with rain, burn ban continues in Dunn County -- MyNDnow
- North Dakota legislative leaders cool to idea of income tax cuts -- InForum
- UND research could reduce CO2 emissions, increase oil output -- Dickinson Press
- XTO donates $60,000 to McKenzie County Health Care -- Roundup
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Factoid of the Week
North Dakota consumes the most energy per capita of any state in both residential and commercial sectors with 89 million BTUs and 113 million BTUs, respectively. More than half the state’s energy consumption occurs in the industrial sector, which includes its energy-intensive coal, natural gas, and petroleum industries, and results in North Dakota ranking No. 4 in per capita industrial consumption
.
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September 12
Williston
September 14
Bismarck
September 14
Bismarck
September 14
Watford City
September 17
Bismarck
September 18
Bismarck
September
24-26
Fargo
September 27
Manning
September 27
Bismarck
September 27
New Town
October 3
Bismarck
October 3-4
Williston
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Oil prices and rig count
September 7, 2018
WTI Crude: $67.17
Brent Crude: $76.09
Natural Gas: $2.77
North Dakota Active Rigs: 66 (up 3)
09/7/2017 -- 54 rigs
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Geoff Simon
Editor/Executive Director
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