Some North Dakota Politicians Want A Do-Over With Regard To New Flaring And Conditioning Rules -- January 15, 2015

Bakken.com is reporting:

A bill sponsored by nine Republican lawmakers could potentially void North Dakota’s efforts to curb natural gas flaring and the conditioning of Bakken’s sweet crude, according to a report by The Dickinson Press.

Lead sponsor of the bill Rep. Keith Kempenich said that one of the bills is in response to the flaring goals and oil conditioning standards being approved by the Industrial Commission without going through the Legislature’s Administrative Rules Committee.

The Dickinson Press reports that Kempenich said, “We need to be involved when they get into that broad of public policy. The Legislature was pretty much left out of the loop as far as what those policies were.” He added that the rules committee would have likely rejected the order to reduce flaring because the goals are “arbitrary.”

That order, adopted July 1, requires oil and gas producers in the Bakken and Three Forks shale formations to capture 77 percent of the gas being released by January 1, 85 percent by January 2016 and 90 percent by October 2020. If operators are unable to meet these goals they would be forced to cut back on production.

I agree completely.  However, a slippery slope either way.

For newbies: the North Dakota legislature meets only every two years, and only for a few months when it does meet. 

Bakken.com is also reporting:

An incident at a North Dakota oil well has left one man dead and another one injured.

The Bismarck Tribune reports the men were repairing equipment at the oil well location near Mandaree when fluids somehow ignited, burning both men.

Reports from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration show that Denver-based QEP Resources operates the well. The incident’s fatal victim was the owner of Legendary Field Services of Watford City, and the man who was injured is employed by that oil-field service provider.

Very, very sad. 

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