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WILLISTON: The combination of the discovery of the Bakken shale, fracking technology, and horizontal drilling has brought with it many things including: an economic boom, catapulting employment rates, steeply heightened rental rates and increased crime rates. Oil production in North Dakota has grown approximately 600 percent over the past decade and the Bakken region itself is producing over a million gallons of crude oil a day. This growth has meant major investments in infrastructure and...
In 2006, Montana's First lady Nancy Schweitzer began the Montana Department of Transportation Geological Roadsign program. That program came to an end a few years ago, but has since been reestablished by first lady Lisa Bullock and Lt. Gov. Angela McLean. The program was designed to educate people on the geological wonders and colorful history of Montana through roadside markers which depict stories through geology. Since 2006, First Lady Nancy Schweitzer and the Montana Department of...
One of the most exciting things to take place in this country over the last few years has been the resurgence in American oil from American soil. The conversation about energy has changed from one about scarcity to one of abundance. Along with the tremendous uptick in drilling and production, has come the demand for thousands of jobs. The demand for workers couldn't have come at a more opportune time either, as much of the country saw unemployment numbers skyrocket during the recent economic rec...
In a Praxair news release on September 18, 2014, Praxair, Inc. announced it is offering oil and gas producers a new DryFracTM waterless fracturing technology that can replace water use in fracturing wells through the use of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2). The company's patent-pending technology enables oil and gas producers to increase yield while reducing environmental impacts associated with hydraulic fracturing, such as water sourcing and water disposal. Tony Wallace, vice president, Energy...
In a news release on October 27, 2014, Houston, Texas, based Crestwood Midstream Partners LP (NYSE: CMLP) announced the loading of the 1,000th crude oil unit train at its COLT Hub in Epping, North Dakota. The COLT rail facility commenced service in June 2012 with an original capacity to load 80,000 barrels per day ("Bpd"). The facility has undergone two major expansions since 2012 and has a current capacity to load up to 160,000 Bpd. Crestwood's COLT rail facility is one of the largest...
Life-long residents Bud and Anne Groskinsky have contributed $148,000 through the Groskinsky Foundation to the Boys & Girls Club of Richland County, it was announced today. The Foundation was the first major contributor to "prime the pump" as lead investors have come together in support of a much needed Clubhouse for kids. This gift was disclosed by the Boys & Girls Club of Richland County at the public kick-off of a $6 million "Great Futures Start Here" fundraising campaign. The campaign will r...
This panel was held on Friday, September 26 with Senator Jon Tester at the helm, acting as Chairman. Tester wasn’t the only notable name there, however, with the Lt. Governor Angela Mclean; United States Attorney for the District of Montana, Michael Cotter; Michael Gottlieb the Director of the National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) ; Tim Fox, the Attorney General for the State of Montana and Mike Tooley, the Director of the Montana Department of Transportation . This panel was convened at 9am that Friday morning with little i...
ONEOK Partners announced their plan to invest approximately $480 - $680 million by the end of the third quarter 2016 to build two natural gas processing facilities – the Bear Creek plant and the Bronco plant – along with their related infrastructure. The partnership plans to build the Bear Creek plant, an 80-million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) natural gas processing facility and its related infrastructure in northwest Dunn County, ND. This plant will process natural gas which is produced in the...
Senate candidate debate to be held in Sidney, MT on October 21st 2014 at the Richland County Fair Event Center at 7 p.m. Please submit questions to [email protected]. The Sidney Chamber of Commerce and the Richland County Farm Bureau are excited to host the U.S. Senate candidate debate. Eastern Montana is heavily impacted by the Bakken Oil boom and many of the issues being addressed regionally and nationally concern our citizens. It is important that all representatives see and understand how heavily impacted we are. It is equally...
NEW TOWN: The three affiliated tribes on the Fort Berthold Reservation – Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) will be holding a meeting in the Tribal Chambers in New Town on October 9th to discuss the MHA Gas Capture Plan - a plan that supports cleaner energy and cleaner air. Per the MHA Gas Capture Plan Concept, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has had "a foundation of a Gas Capture Plan (GCP) in place that has existed for decades," however they question how effective the plan has been m...
On September 15, 2014, Quantum Energy, Inc. based out of Tempe, AZ with an office in Williston, ND, entered into a Strategic Alliance with Bilfinger Westcon Inc. of Bismarck, ND, for the development of a series of refinery projects throughout the Bakken Formation. Quantum Energy, Inc. is proposing to develop five 21st Century Energy Centers (micro-refineries) throughout the Bakken with each one including a 20,000 barrel-per-day diesel refinery, a processing plant to strip the crude of Natural...
A subcommittee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs was held at the Richland County Fair Event Center Friday morning. Senator Jon Tester helmed the proceedings as Chairman and invited many witnesses to testify about their specific field of interest regarding the change in the area since the boom started and what sort of impact we are experiencing now. (Photos by Suzie Schieffer)...
Lt. Governor Angela Mclean, presents Geo Marker to the City of Sidney this past Friday. Mayor Rick Norby and the Director of Montana Department of Transportation, Mike Tooley, were also present. The Geological Program was started in 2006 by then 1st Lady Schweitzer and 8 years later we now have 50 markers in Montana. This program has since been picked up by 1st lady Bullock with Sidney being the first of 8 more planned geo-sites throughout Montana. The ceremony was held at the Sidney Chamber of...
Senator calls for investment in Montana’s transportation infrastructure to increase safety, ease congestion Senator John Walsh today released a federal report that chronicles the growth of rail traffic and its impact on local communities. Walsh in March commissioned the report from the Government Accounting Office (GAO). After Walsh called for the report, the GAO sent researchers across the country, including to Billings, Glendive, and Williston, ND, to assess recent rail traffic trends, particularly those patterns associated with the oil b...
Senator Jon Tester (D–Mont.), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security subcommittee that oversees federal programs, today announced he will be holding a field hearing in the Bakken this week. The hearing will take an in-depth look at infrastructure and law enforcement needs in the rapidly growing region and examine the best ways to support local communities, businesses and families. The Bakken: Examining Efforts to Address Law Enforcement, Infrastructure, and Economic Development Needs The event will be Friday, September 26, at 9:00 am MT. T...
Montana has a very colorful geologic history with black rock, red rock, limestone, sandstone and mineral deposits such as Coal and Oil. Designed to teach about the geographical wonders of Montana, Former First Lady Nancy Schweitzer, First Lady Lisa Downs-Bullock and the Montana Department of Transportation have installed nearly 50 roadside geo-markers commemorating geologic and paleontological sites throughout the state. The Board and Staff of the Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture are honored to announce that Sidney been selected as...
Senator Jon Tester today announced that eastern Montana will receive more resources to fight domestic and sexual violence in the Bakken region. The support comes from the Violence Against Women Act’s (VAWA) Bakken Regional Initiative, which aims to reduce domestic violence and offer increased support to survivors in the growing region. The grants to reduce sexual violence will go to: · Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence - $750,000 · Fort Peck Assiniboine And Sioux Tribes - $689,823 Tester is a strong supporter of the Violenc...
GE Oil & Gas has teamed up with Ferus Natural Gas Fuels in a 50/50 joint venture to provide the 'Last Mile Fueling solution,' a solution to an ongoing problem in the Bakken. The Last Mile Fueling solution is a technology & logistics system to make natural gas fueling available for exploration & production operations. It takes previously uneconomic natural gas from a flare stack, oilfield production site, or from a remote pipeline, then compresses the gas and delivers it the final distance, or...
Senator John Walsh today called the Department of Justice’s announcement of Office of Violence Against Women grants an important step in preventing and prosecuting crimes of domestic and sexual violence: “These grants are an important and overdue step to help local communities in the Bakken region prosecute crimes of violence against women and educate the public about sexual assault prevention, making our state safer and stronger. By taking this important first step, we are strengthening our judicial institutions and creating a more eff...
First of all, what is re-fracking? We know that fracking is a method in which water-based fluid under extremely high pressure is pumped down a well to fracture the reservoir rock next to the well bore, creating pathways for natural gas to flow to the wellhead. Through new technology we’ve learned some wells are re-completed and fracked to enable production from a second layer or to open fractures that may have closed over time. A well may be re-fracked every one to two years of operation to s...
Traffic congestion is expected to improve following the highly anticipated grand opening of a major thoroughfare in Williston on August 11, 2014. An official ribbon cutting ceremony will be hosted at 10 a.m. by the Williston Chamber of Commerce at the roundabout located at the intersection of 32nd Ave. N and 26th St. W, near the new Harvest Hills subdivision. Completion of the northern portion of 32nd Ave. will provide a key element of infrastructure needed to develop Williston’s up-and-coming retail sector in the Sand Creek Town Centre, a G...
Since the recent boom in the Bakken, eastern Montana towns have seen increases in far more than oil production. People from all walks of life have begun the trek west to find prosperity and opportunity afforded by the economic development now occurring in the oil and agriculture rich areas of Richland County. Juan Carlos Torres is one of those people. Juan Carlos is a father of six. He moved to the United States from Mexico City in 1985, after a terrifying earthquake, he said. He'd been driving...
Nortana Grain Co. in Lambert and Sidney, Montana, is a locally owned and operated business which is governed by a board of farmers. Agribusinesses in eastern Montana and western North Dakota have trusted Nortana Grain Co. for agricultural services for more than 70 years. They handle it all whether it is spring wheat, winter wheat, barley, oats, corn, peas or lentils. Over the last 50 years, Nortana Grain Co. has handled more than 23,500,000 bushels of grain. They can take care of your...
Natural or man-made hazards exist throughout our nation, and Richland County is no exception. The four highest risks in our area are Flooding, Summer Storms/Tornadoes, Winter Storms and Hazardous Material Spills, According to Richland County’s brand new Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (viewable at www.richlandhazardplan.com/PDF/ Richland_County_MHMP_Adopted.pdf). In recent history, Richland County has averaged 2 flood events, 4 hazardous material releases, 8 summer storms and 9 winter storms per year. The odds of being involved in a local d...
Formed in 2011 by veteran real estate executives George Kropinski and John Sessions, Bakken Housing Company ("BHC") develops real estate projects throughout the Bakken region of western North Dakota, eastern Montana and southern Saskatchewan. BHC projects exceed the quality standards in the cities and towns in which they are located, making them more appealing to individuals, families and businesses in the community. Sitting on over 7 acres, Eagle Crest Apartment Homes is a pet-friendly,...
