Panel delays action on ND oil production rules

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Category: Oil Industry News

Created on Wednesday, 21 December 2011 14:03

Written by Justin Christianson

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(AP)  BISMARCK, N.D. — New rules to restrict oil waste disposal were delayed Tuesday when North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple said the regulations were too vague about whether some producers would be allowed to continue dumping in open pits.

The state Department of Mineral Resources had proposed rules that would mostly prohibit an oil industry practice of digging pits the size of swimming pools to temporarily dump waste from oil drilling.

Under the proposed rules, salt water, drilling lubricants and other liquid wastes from wells drilled to depths of more than 5,000 feet would have to be stored in tanks, rather than dumped in reserve pits.

Open pits could still be used for waste from wells shallower than 5,000 feet, and to dispose of rock cuttings and other solid waste from deeper wells.

Lynn Helms, director of the mineral resources agency, said most newly drilled North Dakota oil wells are deeper than 5,000 feet.

The exemption from shallower wells was proposed because their waste is usually less noxious, he said. It normally includes fresh water, rather than the brine that is a common waste product from deeper wells, he said.

The proposed rules say all open waste pits must eventually be filled in and reclaimed.

The state Industrial Commission, which regulates North Dakota's oil and gas industry, delayed action on the proposed rules Tuesday after Dalrymple told Helms they did not provide enough regulatory guidance to oil producers.

The proposed rules allowed oil producers to ask Helms and the Industrial Commission for permission to use pits for disposing of wastes from deeper wells.

"For everybody drilling below 5,000 feet, they still don't know where they are on that. They really can't assume anything," Dalrymple said to Helms. "You may, in your mind, have a clear idea of where you're going with this, but how are we going to get that same clarity if it can't even be reduced to words?"

Helms said afterward the proposed exemption for wells deeper than 5,000 feet would have to be "refined."

"They want some more restrictive language there to define under what circumstances can you (ask for an exemption)," Helms said.

The Industrial Commission will take up the issue again in mid-January. Dalrymple is chairman of the commission, which regulates North Dakota's oil and gas industry. Its other members are Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.

The rules also require oil companies to disclose chemicals they use for hydraulic fracturing, a process during which water, chemicals and grit are pumped underground to break up shale rock and allow the oil to flow.

They say companies must list chemicals in their "fracking" fluid on a website that is accessible to the public. The components of fluids used for individual oil wells will be listed, Helms said.

The oil industry's waste disposal pits have come under scrutiny after heavy water runoff from melting snow last spring caused some to overflow, polluting nearby farmland.

Some oil companies also have been charged under a federal law that protects migratory birds after some ducks and other birds were discovered dead in waste pits. The birds had apparently mistaken the pits for a good landing spot.

Some oil companies, in comments filed about the proposed rules, said the ban on waste pits for deeper wells would drive up drilling costs by $50,000 to $400,000 per well, and make some exploration projects uneconomical.

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http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57346554/panel-delays-action-on-nd-oil-production-rules/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed28GameCore29

Census: ND population at record high

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Category: Oil Industry News

Created on Wednesday, 21 December 2011 14:08

Written by Justin Christianson

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(12-21) 08:47 PST Bismarck, N.D. (AP) --

U.S. census data released Wednesday shows that North Dakota's population is at an all-time high, surpassing the previous record set more than 80 years ago.

The Census Bureau's data shows North Dakota's population is pegged at 683,932 residents. That's up from the previous record of 680,845 residents set in 1930.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple says he welcomes the growth in North Dakota which had suffered decades of population decline. North Dakota's strong economy led by its booming oil patch has attracted thousands of new residents in the past few years.

The state's population has increased by 50,000 residents from a decade low of 632, 809 reported in 2003.

North Dakota's recent population estimate shows an increase of more than 11,300 people in the past year.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/12/21/financial/f084712S48.DTL#ixzz1hCo9rBGy

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/12/21/financial/f084712S48.DTL

The Bakken Boom Brings Oil Jobs To You - North Dakota Oil Jobs Are Available

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Category: Oil Industry News

Created on Sunday, 18 December 2011 10:11

Written by Justin Christianson

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Whether you are looking for an oil job in North Dakota or you have oil job positions that need to be filled, you are looking in the right place to make a North Dakota oil jobs connection. 

With the incredible find of a minimum of two billion barrels of oil, North Dakota may soon become the third on the list of states with the largest oil production, following Alaska and Texas. 

With much of the economy in the country still stagnating, North Dakota oil jobs are booming; there seem to be more jobs available every day.

With over 200 oil rigs that each provide 120 jobs and more rigs expected, you can see how valuable it can be for people who need jobs and companies who have open positions to fill to be able to quickly and easily connect.  

You can browse our hundreds of available listings if you are looking for work in this field.  There are jobs for people with all levels of experience, so whether you are unskilled and simply have an interest in finding a job or you are highly skilled, we can connect you with available positions. 

We are also here to help companies who have openings connect with qualified individuals who are looking for work.   

Visit www.oilservicetracker.com/north-dakota-oil-jobs if you are looking for a position in the oil industry or have openings available and make a great connection today.