The exercise involved around 200 state, local, and federal officials along with Enbridge employees. The idea — if a spill happens, they’ll have some experience with dealing with it. The coincidental timing of the Heimdal train derailment illustrates the importance of these drills.
Read & Share sourced from: KMOT
A 63,000 gallon — 2,000 barrel pipeline spill has resulted in some water entering a tributary and likely finding its way into Smishek Lake. Smishek Lake is near Powers Lake, about 75 miles West Northwest of Minot.
Read & Share sourced from: Associated Press
There are few things evolving more quickly than the technology being applied in the oil field, and the price slow down will only further incentivize innovation. Take a peek at some industry trends in this article from the Wall Street Journal.
Read & Share sourced from: Wall Street Journal
The Dakota Prairie Refinery is in production. The Dickinson refinery has the capacity to handle 20,000 barrels of crude oil per day and will produce approximately 7,000 barrels of diesel fuel in the same time period.
Read & Share sourced from: KMOT
Hydrogen Sulfide is bad stuff, and with certain wells in the oil field it’s a reality that must be dealt with. A company with roots in Southwest North Dakota developed a system that removes the gas and produces an acidic byproduct that cleans disposal wells.
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The U.S. Dept. of Transportation issued new rules regulating the transportation of flammable liquids by rail. The notable regulations: a timeline for replacing outdated tanker cars with newer cars, a new braking standard for certain trains, and new operational guidelines including speed limits in some cases. The news release from the DOT is included below,
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While it seems like the oil slowdown may actually be a good thing in some ways — everyone gets a chance to catch their breath, there’s no doubt everyone would prefer prices just a little higher than they are. And that’s what market forecasters are betting money on.
Read & Share sourced from: Reuters
Three significant energy infrastructure projects were approved by the Pubic Service Commission. The total investment for a transmission line and two upgrades at power generating plants in the oil patch amounts to more than $445 million. Details from the Dickinson Press.
Read & Share sourced from: Dickinson Press
An official announcement will be made Friday that Canada and the U.S. have found common ground in how to manage the additional crude oil that is being shipped by rail.
Read & Share sourced from: Reuters
Senate Bill 2008 was approved by a wide margin. It allocates more than $500k for two state funded railroad safety inspectors through 2019. These inspectors would be in addition to several federal inspectors already providing oversight in the state.
Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune
The final report from federal investigators into the 2013 Casselton/BNSF train derailment has been released. Get the details on the report from AP writer Josh Funk as published on Bakken.com.
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There’s a new song on the wind in Western North Dakota, and more and more investors are seeing opportunity beyond the short-term boom. This is a great article from the Williston Herald about the change in thinking that’s starting to shape how Williston develops.
Read & Share sourced from: Williston Herald
One of the differences with North Dakota’s oil growth now versus the boom in the 1980s — experience. There are enough people around who remember the fall that they’ve positioned their investments conservatively and were prepared for a downturn. Here’s one such story from Dickinson.
Read & Share sourced from: Dickinson Press
In Dickinson, there’s no doubt the dropping rig count has had an impact on jobs in the community, but there are still jobs to be had. Get the full story in this well-written piece by Dustin Monke covering the oil slowdown and its impact on Dickinson.
Read & Share sourced from: Dickinson Press
The State of North Dakota has been admitted into a legal action against the Bureau of Land Management over new rules regulating fracking on federal lands. Details from KMOT News.
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The House approved Senate version of an amended oil tax bill that will do away with oil price tax triggers. The volatility of oil prices combined with the low-price trigger created a lot of uncertainty in forecasting revenues for North Dakota. Full story from Amy Dalrymple.
Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald