March 6, 2020 -- Going, Going ...
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A few scraps of snow are all that remain on the North Dakota Capitol mall following a week that saw temperatures top 50 degrees. The snow should be all gone by the end of next week.
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Western Schools Pursue Building Plans
At least a dozen western North Dakota school districts are developing construction plans to provide additional classroom space for growing school enrollment.
Last week's school board election in Williams County will result in a renewed effort by the county's largest districts to work together to address overcrowded classrooms. Williams County District 8 voters elected two new school board members in a recall election, and this week the new board voted to voted to end plans to transition to a K-12 district at least temporarily, and appoint a committee to consider dissolution or reorganization of the district. The board also plans a joint meeting with Williston District 1 next week to discuss how to keep current District 8 high school students at Williston High this fall.
Alexander - The school board last week approved plans to construct a 7,200 square foot vocational agriculture and industrial arts building at a cost of $2.4 million. Superintendent Leslie Bieber said the district's career and tech ed programs are now housed in a modular building used as a wood shop and a two-car garage which serves as the metal shop. Enrollment in Alexander has grown from 65 students in 2009–2010 to 259 students this school year. Bieber said next year the school board will consider an addition that would include 14 new classrooms, teacher work space and office space.
Dickinson - The district has decided to forego efforts to build a new high school and will instead develop plans for building a new elementary school. Superintendent Shon Hocker said the need for the high school still exists, but crowded classrooms at the elementary level are a more pressing concern. Dickinson has 1,422 students in grades K-3, compared to 1,045 in grades 9-12. Overall, the district's enrollment has increased 53% in the past 10 years. Hocker said plans for a new high school will be reconsidered after the next legislative session. The district had two failed bond referendums on the project last year.
Kenmare - On March 17, district residents will vote whether to approve a bond issue that would improve school safety and security, add elementary classrooms, provide a STEM center, and construct a new gymnasium. The estimated cost of the project is about $14 million. Community forums to explain the plan are scheduled March 8 at 5:00 p.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Church, and March 16 at 7:00 p.m. at Kenmare High School. Click
here to see the district's bond referendum information page.
Killdeer - All students in the district are currently housed in a single 60-plus-year-old building, but enrollment has grown from 373 students in 2009–2010 to 625 students this school year. The district is considering plans to build a combination junior high and high school that would house grades 7-12. Estimated cost of the building is $36-to-$40 million. Superintendent Gary Wilz said the school board will likely decide at its meeting next week whether to schedule a vote on a bond referendum to build the new school. Click
here to see the district's FAQ on the project.
McKenzie County - The district is currently constructing a new 90,000 square foot elementary school at a cost of $35 million. Projected future needs include another elementary school of a similar size and cost, a middle school addition and renovation to increase its existing capacity, a high school addition (9th grade academy) to increase capacity, a career and technical education building (Career Academy), and a new transportation facility to house the district's school buses.The district in Watford City has more than 1,900 students enrolled this year, compared to just 540 in the 2009-10 school year.
New Town - Phase 1 of an addition at Edwin Loe Elementary School was completed in January, adding 12 classrooms, a multipurpose room and office. Phase II begins this spring with demolition of the west wing of the old building, building a new wing including a new library, four classrooms, new bathrooms, and expansion of the school cafeteria. Construction of a middle school addition that includes four classrooms, a multipurpose room, bathrooms, and office space will be completed in May. The district plans to expand its bus barn this summer.
Powers Lake - Enrollment in the district is 209 this year, more than twice the number of students it had 10 years ago. The district is need of a gymnasium and additional classrooms, a parking lot expansion and a bus barn, but its current borrowing ability is not sufficient to complete the projects. Powers Lake is on the edge of oil country but many of its students come from households supported by the oilfield.
Stanley - An addition to the west side of the high school was constructed in 2018-19 (new office area and secure entrance, new locker rooms, two new classrooms and storage areas). This summer the district is looking at replacing its track, lights and grandstands at its sports complex. The district’s vocational agriculture department and family consumer science areas need to be updated/expanded. The district also needs a new bus barn and has looked at adding a second gym to its high school.
Click
here to see 2019-20 enrollment figures for all North Dakota school districts.
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Measure to End Property Taxes Proposed
Proponents Say Oil Tax Revenue Makes it Possible
27,000 Signatures Must Be Gathered by July 6th
A constitutional measure that would abolish property taxes in North Dakota may appear on the November 2020 ballot.
Calling it "the mother of all incentives," Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck, announced plans this week to put the issue before voters this fall. Voters in 2012 by more than a 3-to-1 margin soundly rejected a similar proposal, but in an interview with Rob Port on the radio program,
Plain Talk, Becker said the new measure will be different. He said it will not be retroactive like the 2012 measure. Instead, if approved this November, the property tax elimination measure would take effect in January 2022.
Becker said proponents of the 2012 measure did not have a well-organized campaign, raising only $28,000 to promote the proposal. Unlike 2012 when opponents of the measure controlled the message, he said this year's campaign will be better organized and better funded.
Click
here to listen to Becker's comments.
While the measure will not specify a replacement source of revenue, Becker said existing state budget items could be realigned to cover the $1.2 billion/year in property tax revenue. He also believes the business incentive created by the absence of property taxes will generate economic growth.
Click
here to listen to Becker's comments.
To get the measure on the November ballot, proponents will need to gather 26,904 signatures by July 6. Becker said he expects a number of volunteers will help with the effort, but because of the short timeline, supporters will also hire paid signature gatherers.
Click
here to see the Facebook page of the End Property Taxes group. Click
here to listen to the full
Plain Talk interview with Rep. Becker.
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Baesler Apologetic After DUI Arrest
DPI Supt Will Seek Counseling Services
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler issued a public apology this week following her arrest last week on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Baesler said she made "an extremely poor decision," and is sorry for disappointing people. She said she intends to plead guilty to charges resulting from her arrest and is seeking professional treatment and counseling services.
In an interview with Scott Hennen at
AM 1100 The Flag, Baesler asked friends and colleagues for forgiveness. She said her decision to seek professional help is sincere, and that her faith in God would help guide her to recovery.
Click
here to listen to Baesler's comments.
On the night of the incident, Baesler said she was at a Bismarck restaurant where she drank three craft beers (which may have a higher alcohol content than domestic beers). She said she typically would call a ride-sharing service after drinking, but was distracted by a phone call as she was preparing to leave and exercised poor judgment.
Click
here to listen to Baesler's comments.
Baesler said she consulted with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and was advised that she should seek outpatient treatment services. She intends to continue working while undergoing treatment, and is seeking re-election to her position this fall.
Click
here to listen to the full
AM 1100 The Flag interview with Baesler.
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Third Candidate Enters Race for DPI Superintendent
Brandt Dick, Superintendent of the Underwood Public School District, announced his candidacy this week for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
"It's been decades since a school superintendent has been in the role of State Superintendent," Dick said. The job has "allowed me to gain insight into educational issues that concern all schools," he added.
Dick, who has been in Underwood since 2011, also serves as the district's activities director, along with teaching a dual credit college Algebra course. He said he's received encouragement to seek the position, and will focus on the needs of North Dakota youth.
"This campaign and the vision I have for education in our state is all about putting children first, supporting parents, ensuring viability and success of large and small schools, and ensuring educators are valued," Dick said.
Dick graduated from Northwestern College with a math teaching degree, and earned his Masters in Teaching Mathematics from Minot State University. Brandt has been an active participant in the legislative process, serving as an ex officio member of the interim Education Funding Formula Review Committee.
Also running for DPI superintendent is Charles Tuttle of Minot, who was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House in 2018. Tuttle's congressional campaign included eliminating Common Core to return curriculum decisions to local school boards. He also testified in support of
HB 1525 during the 2019 legislative session. The bill, which was defeated in the House 75-17, directed all common schools to transfer their real property to the Board of University & School Lands, which would pay off any debt, and use the trust fund to address new construction needs and maintain existing school facilities.
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PSC Rejects Ruso Wind Farm Permit
Blinking Red Lights at Issue in the Case
The ND Public Service Commission this week rejected an application for a siting for permit for a proposed wind farm that would straddle the Ward and McLean County line east of Highway 83. The PSC voted 2-1 against approving the Ruso Wind project, but may reconsider it later.
At issue in the case was compliance with a 2017 state law (
HB 1378) that requires new aircraft detection technology that will prevent red lights on turbines from blinking all night. Minot Air Force Base expressed concern about the radar-based light-mitigating technology that would turn off the lights except when aircraft are in the vicinity. The base flies helicopters to missile sites in the area, and said it was nervous that blinking lights could alert a potential enemy that helicopters are approaching. Southern Power, the company behind the project, did agree to remove five turbines that were a concern to the Air Force.
So far, the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized only the radar-based aircraft detection technology and no alternative is yet available. Commissioner Julie Fedorchak, the only vote in favor of the project, said she understood the military's concerns, but supported the siting with a condition that the lighting be installed when the technology is available.
Click
here to listen to Fedorchak's comments.
Both Commission Chairman Brian Kroshus and Commissioner Randy Christman said they didn't believe the law requiring an aircraft detection lighting system (ADLS) allowed the PSC to make exceptions.
Click
here to listen to Kroshus' comments.
Kroshus said he anticipates the 2021 Legislature may take another look at the light-mitigating law to address issues with the Ruso project. The wind farm faces other challenges as well. It does not yet have an interconnection agreement to get the power it would generate on the grid, and doing so may require investment of hundreds of millions of dollars to install additional transmission capacity.
Click
here to read a Bismarck Tribune article about the PSC decision.
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Amendment Would Repeal Wind Subsidy
Republican Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven introduced an amendment to the American Energy Innovation Act this week that would repeal the extension of the wind production tax credit (PTC) that was enacted earlier this year.
The wind PTC, which was originally supposed to be phased out by January 1, 2020, was extended for one year as part of the appropriations package passed by Congress last December.
In an interview on the radio program,
What's on Your Mind, Senator Hoeven said the extender was inserted into the measure by wind supporters in the House of Representatives.
Click
here to listen to Hoeven's comments.
North Dakota's interest in repealing the PTC is driven by recent announcements that the state's coal-fired generating plants are losing money, driven largely by competition from wind farms backed up by natural gas generation. Of utmost concern is a recent announcement by Great River Energy (GRE) that it may shut down the Coal Creek Station near Underwood (
see Feb. 7 WDEA newsletter).
Hoeven said he and Cramer have pushed efforts to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to fairly compensate generating facilities for reliability, plants that keep the power flowing 24/7. Hoeven said that is beginning to happen in other regional transmission organizations.
Click
here to listen to Hoeven's comments.
Whether any action by FERC in the Midwest region occurs in time to influence GRE's decision is questionable. But Hoeven expects the company will observe what's going on in other parts of the country.
Click
here to listen to Hoeven's comments.
This U.S. Senate is currently debating S.2657, the bipartisan energy bill introduced by Senators Lisa Murkowski, R-AK, and Joe Manchin, D-WV. Senators Cramer and Hoeven are offering several amendments to advance North Dakota’s energy priorities.
Click
here to read the text of the amendment that would repeal the wind tax credit. Click
here and advance to the 30:35 mark to listen to the full
What's on Your Mind interview with Senator Hoeven.
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DAPL Hearing Draws Union Support
The Dakota Access Pipeline is once again creating controversy, this time in downtown Chicago.
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) held a hearing this week on the proposal that would double the amount of crude oil moving through the pipeline. Dakota Access LLP is seeking permission to add pumping stations along the 1,100 mile pipeline route that would increase the volume of oil that DAPL carries to a terminal near Patoka, Illinois.
The ICC hearing drew both environmental extremist groups opposed to the application, as well as union members and supporters wearing bright orange shirts who were there to support the jobs the proposal would create.
“It's going to create great jobs,” said Randy Harris with the Laborers’ International Union of North America. “There's already a pipeline there. We think this is a great opportunity for the state of Illinois to increase the tax base and job opportunities for our membership.”
The ICC’s hearing gave both sides a chance to cross examine expert witnesses. An administrative law judge will make a recommendation to the ICC commissioners, who are expected to decide the case later this spring. Click
here to read more in an article from WBEZ News. Click
here to read the Chicago Tribune's coverage of the ICC hearing.
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Doing Business in the Bakken
Oilpatch Workshop Happening in Fargo
How can North Dakota business find a market in the Bakken? Here’s a session that can help.
Bakken Business 101 will feature industry leading experts in the Bakken oilpatch sharing information about the business and career opportunities available in North Dakota’s oil and gas industry.
The half-day event is hosted by the NDSU Research and Technology Park with support from Bakken Backers and the North Dakota Petroleum Council.
- When: March 18, 1:15 to 4:30 p.m.
- Where: NDSU Alumni Center, 1241 N. University Drive, Fargo
Click
here to see the full agenda and registration information.
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Census: Count Everybody Born by April 1
The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting the decennial census across the nation, which has occurred every 10 years since 1790. The count plays a huge role in shaping the nation.
The goal is simple: to account for every living person in the U.S. born or living on or before April 1. The more people counted, the more U.S. representatives for the state and the more federal funding communities get. But the job is easier said than done.
“For the first time in 100 years we will change the first digit in the number of our residents to a ‘7’, with an expected 2020 census count somewhere above 760,000,” said Kevin Iverson, census office manager at the North Dakota Department of Commerce. “We will have spent a whole century of censuses through 2010 between 600,000 and 700,000.”
North Dakotans’ participation in the census helps determine every community’s share of federal funds that were collected through federal taxes – more than $675 billion each year.
“It’s very crucial that every person residing in North Dakota, whether a resident or not, is counted,” said Iverson. “We as a state have to live with the results of the 2020 census for the next 10 years.”
Over the course of the decade, each person counted brings approximately $19,100 in federal tax dollars back to North Dakota. If one household is missed, that means that $44,312 that would have otherwise come to the state to help support critical education, health care and infrastructure programs, will instead go to states like California or New York.
The U.S. census takes just 10 minutes to complete, and responses should reflect where residents spend most of the year, not where they are on Census Day (April 1) or where they claim residency in 2020.
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2020 WBPC Agenda Announced
The event has become the largest conference in North Dakota and it’s scheduled for the Bismarck Event Center on May 19-21.
Event organizers released the conference agenda this week that includes 17 Bakken CEOs and executives. Click
here to view the agenda.
”The WBPC is one of the top oil conferences in the country. We have an incredible lineup of speakers,” said Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, the lead organizer of this year’s conference. “We are excited to feature the latest technologies that have helped turn the Bakken into a world-class resource and discuss the way forward to help take the Bakken and Williston Basin to the next level.”
The conference will feature more than 70 speakers and presenters, each sharing insights on the latest issues impacting oil and natural gas development and what the future holds for the Williston Basin.
The list of speakers includes Mike Sommers, the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute addressing The State of American Energy. API is the only national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry.
Click
here to register for the conference. Click
here for an article from the Bismarck Tribune.
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Registration Open for Lignite Teacher Seminar
The Lignite Energy Council is now accepting applications for the 2020 edition of its teachers education seminar.
More than 3,400 teachers have attended the LEC seminar since it began in 1986. The 2020 event will be held June 8-11 with space limited to 130 elementary and secondary teachers from Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota.
The seminar is actually a two-credit college class. Participants can receive continuing education credit from the University of North Dakota (Teaching & Learning), North Dakota State University (Education), or Minot State University (Science).
The seminar will be held at Bismarck State College and provides teachers with the information and educational materials they need to teach their students how lignite is mined and used to produce electricity for homes, farms and businesses in the Upper Midwest. In addition, the seminar covers lignite’s impact on the region, as well as important environmental issues affecting the lignite industry. The event includes a tour of a lignite mine and coal-fired power plant.
Click
here for seminar registration details.
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Write it Down on Your Calendar!
WDEA 2020 Annual Meeting
Get this date on your calendar! The Annual Meeting of the Western Dakota Energy Association will be held:
October 7-8, 2020
The Grand Williston Hotel & Conference Center
Williston, ND
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Quick Connect
- ND's oil and gas companies must find ways to extend the Bakken's core -- Williston Herald
- Continental will shift capital expenditures back to ND's Bakken for 2020 -- Williston Herald
- Burgum advocates letting Legacy Fund grow, warns oil revenues not endless -- Fargo Forum
- Ag Secretary Perdue designates 16 North Dakota counties disaster areas -- KFYR-TV
- Report says coronavirus virus outbreak making mark on Midwest economy -- Bismarck Tribune
- Excel fined $12,000 after natural gas blast and fire at Fargo Senior Center -- Fargo Forum
- EA completed, northeast truck reliever route in Williston moving ahead again -- Williston Herald
- Much needed Williston Housing Action Plan discussed at public meeting -- Williston Herald
- Nearly half a million dollars granted for Tioga airport improvements -- Tioga Tribune
- Williston Basin International Airport, Tioga Municipal Airport honored -- Williston Herald
- Order to keep former District 8 board member away from sitting member -- Williston Herald
- Alexander School robotics team advances to World Championships -- Williston Herald
- Minot sees steady construction work in 2019 despite a drop in permits -- Minot Daily News
- New England City Council to remove wards, choose members at large -- Dickinson Press
- Bronson’s Marketplace launches online shopping feature in Beulah -- Beulah Beacon
- Republican Senators urge changes to reduce Missouri River flooding -- Associated Press
- Minot city leaders approve change to Souris River flood protection plan's 'Phase 5' -- KFYR-TV
- 9th Circuit Court says Native American tribe may stop oil train traffic on reservation -- Reuters
- Super Tuesday primaries shine light on fracking, exports, power generation -- S&P Global
- Activists & politicians would muck up America's competitive electricity markets -- Inside Sources
- What to know about foreign cyber attacks that target U.S. energy pipelines -- The Hill
- U.S. natural gas consumption increases 3% from electric capacity; sets new 2019 record -- EIA
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Factoid of the Week
A fracking ban would have devastating consequences for families across the nation including ND where the state stands to lose 76,000 jobs as a share of overall employment. Families will see an increase of $618 per year in household energy costs with residential natural gas prices 58% higher and electricity costs jumping 20% higher on average.
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March 9
Bismarck
March 11
Bismarck
March 16
Bismarck
March 17
Kenmare
March 19
Bismarck
March 19
Bismarck
March 19-21
Minot
March 24
Bismarck
March 26
Bismarck
March 27-28
Bismarck
April 1
Bismarck
April 21-23
Four Bears - New Town
April 28-30
Watford City
May 19-21
Bismarck
June 8-11
Bismarck
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Oil prices and rig count
March 6, 2020
WTI Crude: $41.28
Brent Crude: $45.27
Natural Gas: $1.71
North Dakota Active Rigs: 55 (up 3)
3/6/
2019
-- 67 rigs
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Geoff Simon
Editor/Executive Director
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