Notes From The Road, Day Two: Williston to Bismarck
by
Dave Harbour
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Comment: In the stories below, one is left shaking one’s head. The
 Alaska State Senate has refused to support Governor Sean Parnell’s call for tax reform leading to more oil and gas investment on state lands. At the same time, Alaska’s U.S. Senators are calling for the Administration to improve a sour federal land investment climate steming from restrictive regulatory policies. The adult in the room wants to say, why don’t the state and federal decision makers stop their bickering and just improve state tax policy and federal regulatory policy? Why don’t they begin to sharpen their own competitive edge by first checking out the competition: investment climates in North Dakota, Texas, Montana, Alberta? The consumers of America are due that much from those they elect. -dh Do your part to improve federal policy today with one click!Alaska Journal of Commerce/News Miner. In case anyone had any misconceptions about what still needs to happen for North Slope oil companies to begin selling their natural gas, ExxonMobil’s CEO laid it out again earlier this month. The state must agree to long-term tax rates on the gas. Rex Tillerson, talking with reporters after the company’s annual shareholders meeting, said North Slope natural gas can be competitive in the national market. ADN. Alaska’s two senators are blasting as shortsighted President Barack Obama’s decision to release 30 million barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve … Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich said it’s a stark reminder for why the U.S. needs an energy plan that promotes domestic production.
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Notes From The Road, Day Two: Williston to Bismark
By
Dave Harbour
(Draft in Progress….)
On a trip to North Dakota to attend an annual meeting of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, the Author decided to leave Anchorage for Bismarck a few days early in order to meet some of the people and see the area that occupy ‘ground zero’ of current shale oil and gas production technology.
After bringing the rental Chevy to a howling halt, I looked at state highway 23 slope down ahead of me into the flooded lake and up out of it again 500 yards ahead. Of some comfort was the temporary sign tacked to a fence post: “Pass With Caution: Flooding”. After what I’d been through earlier in the day I was happy to be able to slowly roll through 8” of water and not be told to turn around again.
A whole generation of North Dakotans will remember this great flood of 2011 harboring the harshest week in their history. Leaving Williston early Thursday afternoon, after a morning of interviews and photographing this dynamic little town, I planned to drive slowly back — taking a southern route to New Town on Lake Sakakawea, south to Dickinson then east to Bismarck.
Thursday, June 23 was a sunny day, but I didn’t even get to Killdeer, much less Dickinson, on State 23. “Road Closed” signs signaled flooded areas and forced me to turn around and return to New Town. By now it was about 5 p.m. and I decided to find the nearest bed, crash and return to Bismarck Friday morning.
But the Laundromat/motel was advertising, “No Vacancies”, so I decided to power back to Bismarck. I bought a diet coke to wake me up and a bag of Dutch Gourmet extra thick potato chips with sea salt. Good thing I did press on, because I was able to capture a number of sunset shots of huge wind generators that are more prolific on the North Dakota prairie landscapes than the lower profile oil rigs. I also captured for my digital archives, with my trusty Canon 5D Mark II, ducks on golden ponds, rigs with safety flares in setting sun, cattle, old windmills and ancient farm houses (Many of the ranches seem focused on maintaining a pioneer building on the property, legacies of earlier family generations).
Earlier that morning in Williston I stood on a strategic street corner of the County 1806 truck route through town, snapping a hundred frames of the multi-purpose truck fleet as everyone gave me that, "Who are you and what are you doing" look which strangers in small towns are likely to attract when they act any way but normal. The thousands of trucks from this small-town oil activity hub were fanning out from the train and UPS stations and intersecting highways to feed, clothe, fuel, lubricate, cement repair and otherwise supply operations throughout the tens of thousands of acres embraced by the Bakken Shale producing area within the Williston Basin.
Just before lunchtime, I stopped by to see Tanya Vachal (NGP Photo). Tayna is Customer Service Office Manager at the North Dakota Job Service office on 1st Avenue, next to the Williston Herald. While waiting for her, I took copies of job applications from the neatly organized wall slots: UPS drivers, fuel truck drivers, plumbers, brush clearers, ditch diggers, heavy equipment operators, health care and food service workers. A person under 50, with fire in the belly and a desire to help a young community grow and prosper, would be wise to at least consider staking out a new legacy for his or her family in western North Dakota, Of course, one would be wiser to stay put and grow existing legacies in an existing home state — assuming the opportunity for personal and community growth is attractive enough to make life interesting and significant.We’ll continue this North Dakota journey tomorrow….
(Reference: See Day 1 Notes.)
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