BISMARCK, ND – The North Dakota Petroleum Council (NDPC) today announced that legendary Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz will provide a keynote address during the NDPC’s Annual Meeting to be held Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, ND. Holtz took his Notre Dame teams to nine straight New Year’s Day bowl games from 1987 through 1995 and remains 11th on the NCAA all-time win list for Division I-A coaches.

“The petroleum industry has had incredible success in helping our economy and our country, and I am delighted to be joining the North Dakota Petroleum Council and its members in Grand Forks,” said Holtz. “There are a great deal of similarities between being a coach and one of the many industry leaders who have seized this tremendous opportunity to help move our state and nation forward. Just as on the athletic field, the ability of leaders to adapt, find solutions for evolving challenges and issues, and capitalize on opportunities makes for a winning proposition.”

“We are excited to have a legend like Coach Holtz join us at our 32nd Annual Meeting,” said Ron Ness, president of the NDPC. “Coach Holtz’s record as a coach demonstrates his ability to motivate others, and there is no doubt his talk will be an inspiration for our attendees and the leaders of our state and the industry.”

Also joining Holtz as a featured speaker at the Annual Meeting will be Statoil’s General Manager of North America, Bill Maloney; Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s CEO Matt Rose; and North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple.

In addition to the business meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 18, this year’s Annual Meeting will feature a Community Education Day and BBQ on Sept. 16. The event will be free and open to the public and will include two Bakken Basics Education sessions, which will be held from 2:30-4 p.m. and 4-5:30 p.m. in Ballrooms 4 and 5 in the Alerus Center. A free BBQ will be held from 5-7:30 p.m. and the community is invited to attend and visit the Members Only Showcase, which will be open from 3:30-7:30 p.m.

“We are excited to take our Annual Meeting to Grand Forks this year and showcase the support, products and services that many of the businesses in the Red River Valley provide for the Bakken,” said Terry Kovacevich, NDPC chairman and regional vice president for Marathon Oil. “Many business leaders in eastern North Dakota have capitalized on the opportunities provided by the petroleum industry in western North Dakota, which has created jobs and helped the economies of communities from Pembina to Wahpeton.”

NDPC members will also have an opportunity to showcase their products and services during a Members Only Showcase to be held for Annual Meeting attendees on Tuesday, Sept. 17. For a full schedule and agenda of speakers, visit https://annualmeeting.risprojects.org/agenda.aspx. 

Since 1952, the Petroleum Council has been the primary voice of the oil and gas industry in North Dakota. The Petroleum Council represents more than 420 companies involved in all aspects of the oil and gas industry, including oil and gas production, refining, pipeline, mineral leasing, consulting, legal work, and oil field service activities in North Dakota, South Dakota, and the Rocky Mountain Region. Our members produced 98% of the 243 million barrels of oil produced in North Dakota last year.  For more information, go to www.ndoil.org.

Grand Forks area businesses are growing to meet demands in the Bakken region of North Dakota.

The Chamber – Grand Forks/East Grand Forks, on behalf of the region’s Bakken Initiative, surveyed its members, which revealed businesses are attributing both revenue and employment growth to business activity related to the oil and gas industry.

Of respondents, 67 percent attribute some of their revenue in the past two years to Bakken activity. In the past two years, 23 percent of respondents have added staff to support related business growth.

“Anecdotally we knew the region’s business community is being impacted by our state’s oil and gas industry,” said Barry Wilfahrt, The Chamber’s president and CEO. “These results are exciting for our region, demonstrating a much greater impact.”

The Bakken Initiative, a collaborative marketing effort launched last year to enhance awareness about the region’s business and community support assets, draws wide support among respondents as well, with 53 percent indicating they find the initiative valuable for their businesses.

Grand Forks Region EDC President and CEO Klaus Thiessen said, “Our region’s effort to recruit new businesses expanding because of the Bakken is also attracting new customers for our existing businesses. At the end of the day, we can undeniably say the oil and gas industry is helping this region grow and create new jobs.”

Wilfahrt said the survey also demonstrates the variety of opportunities the region’s businesses have to serve Western North Dakota demands. Respondents experiencing business growth related to the Bakken activity included automotive services, real estate, construction, and manufacturing.

“We also hope this survey demonstrates to companies that they can expand east to our region to meet demands of company growth in the Bakken. It can be done. Our business base is proving that,” said Thiessen.

Contacts:
Barry Wilfahrt,
President/CEO
The Chamber-GF/EGF
701-772-7271(P)
barry@gochamber.org

Doris Cooper
Marketing Associate
Grand Forks Region EDC
701-738-0238
dorisc@grandforks

The Bakken Oil Worker’s and Oil Service Expo may just be one of the biggest happenings of the summer in North Dakota. Just three weeks after the North Dakota State Fair, the Expo, nicknamed the “Bakken Oil Expo” will debut on August 20 – 22 at that North Dakota State Fair Center in Minot, ND. The event features networking opportunities, seminars and workshops, privately hosted meals, a reception, job opportunities, and the ability to set up one-on-one appointments in advance with current and prospective business clients and employers. Along with these opportunities, the show has a huge indoor and outdoor exhibit show with companies and organizations coming from 36 states and Canada. Taking up over 400 booth spaces, this is this one of the largest oil industry event in the northern U.S.

Seminars will run concurrently in the mornings and afternoons all three days offering attendees the opportunity to enhance their knowledge in training sessions and hands on classes. Oil producers and other regional employers can enhance their employees’ skills and knowledge by purchasing tickets for their employees. Recent newcomers, both businesses and individuals, will also benefit from the wide range of seminars. Classes range from hands on winter defensive driving classes by the Center for Transportation and Safety, to talks on the economic boom and the resulting challenges and opportunities by the Williston and Minot Economic Development Groups, to seminars on finding the best employees and the best jobs in the industry by RTS Corporation, and a variety talks by the North Dakota State Extension Services on living, surviving, and excelling in the North Dakota boom towns. For a complete list of seminars and descriptions, visit http://www.usasymposium.com/bakken/seminars.htm.

A job board featuring oil sector jobs in the Bakken region is available to anyone who visits the Expo website at http://bakkenoilworkers.jobamatic.com/a/jobs/find-jobs. The site allows you to search by job title, company, location and job type (full time, permanent, etc.) There is no cost to search the site or apply for jobs. Employers can post jobs for a nominal fee. At the expo, companies that are hiring will be easily identifiable and you will have the opportunity to talk with employers real-time about job opportunities. Additionally, anyone who registers for the event in advance has the opportunity to set up one-on-one appointments with others attending the event. This tool which can be accessed with the purchase of a $5 expo pass, creates additional opportunities for business to business sales and marketing.

Along with the educational, sales, job, and marketing opportunities at this event, the Expo has been structured to give back directly to the community. Three local charities will be the recipients of 50% of the proceeds from the sale of Expo passes. Attendees who purchase the $5 tickets in advance will have the opportunity to choose which charity they would like to direct their donation to. Featured charities at the 2013 event include the Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch (www.dakotaranch.org), Hope Village (www.hopevillagend.org), and The Williston Salvation Army (www.salvationarmynorth.org/community/williston/).

The event has garnered a lot of momentum and support both in the region and nationally. Expo sponsors include The Associated Press, Bakken Breakout, Bakken Cable Connection, Bakken Field Guide, The Bakken Magazine, Bakken Oil Business Journal, The Bakken Post, BakkenShale.com, The Bella Dangelo Show, The Bismarck Tribune, BW Insurance Agency, Clover Global Solutions, Del Communications, The Drill, ERM Weekly Update, Gravel Products, Inc., Hyatt House Minot, KX News, Minot Area Development Corp., Montana Energy Review, North Dakota State Fair, The Oil Field Efficiency Newsletter, Oiltizer, PennEnergy, Perry Brothers Trucking, Petroleum News Bakken, ShaleMarkets.com, Visit Minot, and World Oils.

For more information on the event, or to register, visit www.usasymposium.com/bakken.

(HELENA)—Attorney General Tim Fox announced today that Montana has joined nine other western states protesting the sequestration of state funds under the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA).  In a bi-partisan letter to President Barack Obama, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Office of Management and Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell, members of the Conference of Western Attorneys General strongly objected to the loss of revenue, which is statutorily guaranteed to the states.

The Interior Department’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue notified states in March that it would withhold payments from March through July, and possibly August and September, saying the move was required by the 5.1% across-the-board sequestration cuts.  More than half of the  states receive mineral royalties, with western states relying heavily on this revenue because of the disproportionate amount of federal land with valuable minerals located in western states.

The MLA entitles states to 48% of all revenue collected by the federal government for mineral activity on federal lands within state boundaries.  Montana stands to lose nearly $2.4 million in revenue per year based on FY 2012 figures.  “The federal government can’t simply seize Montana’s money to cover its budget shortfalls and out-of-control spending,” said Attorney General Fox.  “Washington needs to balance the federal budget by cutting spending, not by taking money from the states that produce our mineral wealth and without regard for the principles of federalism.”

One-quarter of the sequestered funds were to be paid to the counties in which they were raised; three-quarters of the revenue would go to the State’s general fund.  “Counties typically rely on MLA-generated dollars to help meet their infrastructure needs,” said Harold Blattie, Executive Director of the Montana Association of Counties.  “The funds being sequestered represent over $600,000 that counties use to fund essential services like roads, bridges, building improvements, equipment and vehicles.  This is money Montana counties can ill-afford to lose.”

The ten Attorneys General point out that MLA payments are not subject to sequester for a number of reasons:  First, while mineral royalty payments make a stop in the federal treasury before being returned to the states, that does not convert the royalties into federal money or give the federal government any discretion to decide whether or how much money to return to the states under the MLA.

Second, because the only payments going to the states under the MLA come directly from mineral development in those states, it is an entirely self-sustaining revenue source.  Thus, it is not possible that such payments could be subject to sequestration.

Finally, if payments under the MLA can be deemed an appropriation or expenditure, the Attorneys General argue that the Office of Management and Budget should exempt them from sequestration like many other programs important to economic recovery.

Read the letter here: https://doj.mt.gov/2013/08/montana-protests-federal-withholding-of-mineral-leasing-act-revenue/

“There is a place I like to visit as often as time allows. A place where you can see as far as humanly

possible. A place where golden eagles soar over the snow capped mountains while looking down at

the treetops. A place where herds of deer and elk graze on the wild flowers growing in the mountain

meadows. A place where moose and bear walk without the intrusion of daily hikers and motorized

vehicles.

This one hundred and fifty-five acre parcel adjoins eight other one hundred and thirty plus acre

parcels, and three eighty acre parcels that was set aside to become the future home sites of the

most fortunate. These people will experience what most people could only dream of, a place of such

beauty they will want to share it with family and friends for generations to come.”

-Terry L. Covin

North Pass Area Info

North Pass is home to awe-inspiring views, lush meadows, and utterly pure mountain air, just 15 minutes from Bozeman, described by many as Montana’s most dynamic community. In total, 9 sites average just under 150 acres each and the 3 remaining sites averaging just under 80 acres each. With tracts this size, your neighbor is only as close as you want him to be, and thoughtful covenants ensure that homes and new construction are carefully screened and site appropriate.

At the same time, if you would like to sample the superb restaurants, art galleries, upper-end shops, and services found in Bozeman, all are just 15 minutes down the road, 365 days a year. Bozeman is home to Montana State University and offers a classic ranching atmosphere combined with the culture and appeal of a smaller college town. You can find superb sushi down the block and sawdust dance floors and folks enjoying both on any given night. Bozeman is truly unique in that way.

The outdoor-recreational opportunities surrounding Bozeman are simply unparalleled. Just 25 minutes away is the cold-smoke powder of Bridger Bowl, nationally-respected, yet never crowded. If fly fishing is your passion, Bozeman is at the center of the fly fishing universe, offering world-class wild trout fishing on the Yellowstone, Gallatin, and Madison rivers, not to mention endless feeder streams and spring creeks that course through nearby valleys.

Everyone should see Yellowstone National Park at least once in his or her life, and for residents of North Pass, that’s not a problem – The Park is only an hour’s drive. Should they choose a weekend getaway instead, Glacier National Park is only about 4 hours to the north, offering an entirely different yet equally impressive ecosystem.

Back at the ranch, hiking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing are available right outside your back door – and watchable wildlife like elk, mule deer, eagles, sandhill cranes, ruffed grouse and moose may be found in your backyard on any given morning.

The Owners and Developers of North Pass have selected Terry L. Covin to be the Preferred Designer and Builder for this wonderful area. If you would like to be one of the ‘fortunate few’ to own a home at North Pass, please contact him at 406.586.9432.