News and information from the Bakken and Williston Basin.
U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp had a one-on-one meeting with Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson. “Keeping America safe and our economy strong means committing to smart, tough national security strategies that encourage economic partnerships, protect our allies, and push back on destabilizing behavior,” said Heitkamp. “Rex Tillerson and I met […]
When journalist Erin Schrode arrived to the Bakken she assumed she would be covering the protest for a number of media outlets. After a few days, Schrode went from telling stories to becoming a major one, one that went viral across social media, viewed by millions and picked up […]
Part Four of multimedia journalist Jason Spiess’ interview with Brian Sullivan, “Power Lunch” Co-Anchor Jason Spiess: I was just talking with Michael Houge, a real estate broker out of Minneapolis. He represents a number of investments in the Bakken and other shale plays. And what he was talking about was […]
Part Three of multimedia journalist Jason Spiess’ interview with Brian Sullivan, “Power Lunch” Co-Anchor Jason Spiess: Same question. What was it like this go around? Still $300 to $400 a night hotel rooms? What was the new normal? Brian Sullivan: I paid $129-a-night this time and it was in the […]
Part Two of multimedia journalist Jason Spiess’ interview with Brian Sullivan, “Power Lunch” Co-Anchor Jason Spiess: About June 2014 oil started hovering around $60 and the trend was showing a declining future rather than a rebound back to $100. Oil companies started talking about future adjustments. I attended several annual […]
Part One of multimedia journalist Jason Spiess’ interview with Brian Sullivan, “Power Lunch” Co-Anchor Jason Spiess: Just so we can get some context for the interview. Tell me about your first trip to the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota. Brian Sullivan: First trip to North Dakota was 2013 when […]
One of the first people I met on a professional level in the Bakken oil fields was Dickinson city administrator Shawn Kessel. The meeting was brief, as I was filing some paperwork with the city and Kessel was passing by in the hallway. We chatted for no more than one […]
Now that oil prices have been reduced the once frenzy-like Bakken activity, Watford City’s mayor Brent Sanford takes a moment to recall the past five to seven years. “If you go back seven years ago, that’s when the drilling rigs started to move into the county and they haven’t left,” […]
Commercial real estate broker Michael Houge is feeling the shift in the modern day California Gold Rush and is using the word “recalibration” a lot these days. Houge, who lives and works in Minneapolis and the Bakken has seen the shale revolution impact his day to day life for nearly […]
Interviews: John Harju, Charlie Gorecki, Energy and Environmental Research Center Gives an overview of their study on hydrocarbons, value added gas and other projectional Bakken datas. Interview: Dan South, Dome Technology, Idaho Falls, ID Describes how their concrete domes are aiding the energy industry. From oil and gas refineries to […]
The latest energy gathering in Doha is proving once again why the Bakken is a world class shale play. Only this time the “world class” description is showing its global impact from overseas. And according to energy expert Dr. Loren C. Scott, president of Loren C. Scott & Associates, Inc., […]
“I am selling oil out in Western North Dakota,” former U.S. Congressman Rick Berg said. “But I sell it by the quart.” Berg, who is better known for his real estate development business, has entered into a partnership involving several Jiffy Lubes across the region and his partner thought the […]
There are some who argue that in the world of economics the world is flat. The wired world has made claims our collective consciousness is becoming flat. There was even a time when some have argued the actual physical world was flat. Today, this writer is suggesting the easiest way […]
Over the past year, while oil prices and interest rates remain low, the oil and gas industry has been hot with M&A activity. According to recent data from Thomson Reuters, 2015 will go down as the biggest year ever for mergers and acquisitions, with an announced $4.7 trillion. An amazing […]
Through the process of capitalism fueled by energy development, communities are built, upgraded and sustained. Here is a look back at some of the best sound bytes from 2015 on developing communities in the Bakken oil fields. On Community Development “I cannot thank everyone enough for participating in the 3rd […]
For decades former Governor Ed Schafer and U.S. Senator John Hoeven worked to create a business-friendly environment in North Dakota. One of their main goals was to construct a plan to attract energy companies to the Bakken. In the crude oil area, it would appear the mission was accomplished. “We […]
Recently, I sat down with Doug Goehring, who I often argue is the state’s most powerful elected official. During our conversation, at the North Dakota Petroleum Council’s Annual Meeting, Goehring had just dealt with a new increasing and accelerated federal issue – analyzing and implementing executive orders. “You hit the […]
As 2015 winds down and the Bakken gears up for 2016, many companies and employees are wondering what energy futures will hold. Many believe the best way to understand and predict the future is to look to the past. This week’s column looks at the top sound bytes that have […]
As I drove into Dickinson, taking a moment to soak in the event I was about to experience, I noticed diesel was selling for less than gasoline. At the time, I was more interested in understanding why the Dakota Prairie Refinery was the first greenfield refinery in the United States […]
For many people across the United States the Bakken shale play has been somewhat symbolic. For some it represents change. Others money. Then there are the stories of redemption, those coming home, planting new roots and taking risks. Kathleen Neset, owner, Consulting Services, not only has been working and living […]
There are two interviews over the past four years that stand out when thinking about the big picture in oil and gas trends. Signs and indicators, if you will, to determine whether Big Oil will stick around or whether they are going to pack up and move to another shale […]
Three years ago the only thing Brian Hymel knew about oil and gas was that combustion engines need it. Today, the 34-year-old Utah native is one of the largest real estate players in Southwestern North Dakota and participates in numerous oil and gas industry events. “It’s funny how we ended […]
As some of you know I host a radio program called Building the Bakken and the MonDak OilField Review on a number of radio stations across the Upper Midwest. Over the past several weeks I have been airing interviews from the Dakota Prairie Refinery grand opening in late June. Listening […]
U.S. Congressman Kevin Cramer may have the best seat in the house. By house, I am referring to North Dakota’s economic future ready to explode once again. Only this time, the economic activity won’t be the surprise economic left hook of oil and gas, rather, a 1-2-3 punch from energy, […]
Ever since Inc. magazine profiled Bridger as the fastest growing private energy company and the fourth fastest growing private company in 2013, I have been watching them somewhat close. This past July, Houston-based Bridger inked a deal with Monroe Energy for 65,000 barrels of daily domestic crude oil to its […]
For those who have been following the Bakken oil activity over the past several years know that BBQs are more than events, they are experiences. Whether it is the annual MBI Bakken BBQ or the Bakken Rocks CookFest, the bravado and community spirit seem to come out of the woodwork […]
The last couple of years have been a wild ride for David Williams,CEO, Missouri River Resources and the MHA Nation as they embark into new frontiers within the energy industry. “In the last couple of years we went from a very basic start up company to now where we are […]
These days it seems you can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on a radio without hearing about lawmakers, policies and tax codes relating to the Bakken oil fields. There are many folks these days related to oil and gas scrambling, recalculating and dealing with reality. This reality of volatile […]
Recently I sat down with Tom Lilja, executive director, North Dakota Corn Growers Association, to chew the fat on a variety of corn-themed energy and agriculture topics. The first topic of discussion was distribution. The part of a business model 99% of business folk overlook. How to get your product […]
The relationship between agriculture and energy has been around since the dawn of industry, if not mankind. However it’s how that relationship coexists that determines how it is defined. Sometimes they work together, sometimes they are in competition. To say one industry is more powerful than the other is like […]
Interviews: Jason Astrup, Ryan Rauschenberger and Anthony Mangnall. “There is no doubt that North Dakota is in the midst of an unprecedented transformation that has proven valuable to the state and its citizens in many ways,” Lee Tillman, president and CEO, Marathon Oil said at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference. […]
Interview: Wayne Stenehjem North Dakota has entered into a number of lawsuits against the EPA and the rise in criminal element has led to new rules and regulations for the state. This has created an environment where the attorney general is routinely defending the state’s interests and those of its […]
Interviews: Julie Fedorchak and Tyler Axness and Brian Kalk and Todd Reisenauer “As an industry, we recognize the global concern related to the potential impact of greenhouse gases and other air emissions on the environment. I applaud the North Dakota Petroleum Council for its work to create a flaring task […]
Interviews: George Sinner Jr., Jack Seaman and Kevin Cramer North Dakota has become a world-class energy play making their lone seat with the United States House of Representatives as important as ever. For our Energy Policy Special, candidates were provided three questions in advanced, limited to three minutes per question […]
Interviews: Al Jaeger and Roland Riemers The Secretary of State is often looked at as an administrative position with little to no power. This could be further from the truth right now in North Dakota. With an influx of out-of-state voters, workers, contractors and businesses, the position has seen new […]
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