Bakken Oilfield poll

[lunkerslayer]

I just hope those in the oil business will have enough sand to tell these companies to update your existing pipelines as well as hold these companies responsible for millions of dollars in damages to be paid at pennies on the dollar. All those who hated the protesters for standing up to big oils raping and pillaging of our natural resources will stand up when one of these big oil companies drops the ball.
It doesn't effect me to a certain point other that my job depends on oil revenue but when I here eye or others coming online posting all the bad shit that is going on in the patch just to stir the pot of a business he or they are directly involved in is a hypocritical BS.

 

[Retired Educator]

Where did the money go? Lot's of places and in actuality a lot of the money was used for the good. Roads, bridges, infrastructure, education, and on and on. Was any wasted? I'm sure it was. Kind of like the saying "I spent some of my money on wine and women, the rest I just wasted."

Mention was made of the perceived high property tax. One thing that didn't happen was the sharing of much property tax. Property tax is used by the local governments (counties, cities, and schools) that have no other means of income. None, or very little of the oil tax was given out to those local governments for General Fund expenditures. General Fund is what pays for every day operations. Not infrastructure of other special projects. For this local entities expenses went up just like everybody else. The state property tax buy down was generally used for special projects that in some cases the state mandated. Go to the local entity that you think is wasting your tax money and go through their budget and decide what you want to do without. I'm betting the list will be pretty short. You are not allowed to just say "we need to spend less" you must actually decide on "what you would spend less on." Police? Education? Snow Removal? No more Diesel Fuel when your roads are Blocked? It's not as easy as you think.

Someone is correct in the observation that the state is not broke. There is a huge balance in special funds that is only allowed to be used for certain issues. Perhaps that is a good thing that prevents the state from entering a very big hole. Time will tell.

In the long run someone mentioned 40-50 rigs all the time. I agree that the Bakken exploded and we would probably have been better off with a slower growth but it is what it is. No different than any other business. Make money when it's available. When wheat was $15-$20/bushel (short time), there weren't any farmers saying "I don't need the money, I won't plant any wheat this year." The Bakken created a large amount of jobs for our young people. Made it possible for some to move back into the state. The state is not the same but I think we're better off than we were prior to the Bakken.

Did the oil boom bring in problems, absolutely. How we handle those problems defines us as a state.

 

[Davy Crockett]

I'm wondering how many are confusing the terms "Bakken oilfield" with "Bakken boom" A "boom" is when you bring in 200+ rigs and drill up in a few short years what would have normally taken 40-50 rigs about 20 years to drill and complete. I should have worded the poll differently.

something like, would steady drilling for the next 20 years be better than a 5 year all speed and no control shit show.

 

[lunkerslayer]

there is so much oil oceans in the states and we still can't compete with saudi oil until we can tell OPEC to take a hike that's all it will ever be is a boom

 

[KDM]

From where I sit, I could've done without the whole thing. Booms are never a good thing. They're much like the 4 hour night before life of the party drunk that turns into the 3 day puking, dry heave, hangover when the party's over. We in ND, are just now waking up to the beginning stages of the hangover not knowing what the mouth sweats really mean yet.

 

[Mort]

I'm wondering how many are confusing the terms "Bakken oilfield" with "Bakken boom" A "boom" is when you bring in 200+ rigs and drill up in a few short years what would have normally taken 40-50 rigs about 20 years to drill and complete. I should have worded the poll differently.

something like, would steady drilling for the next 20 years be better than a 5 year all speed and no control shit show.

Thats about what it was...yes...40-50 rigs working for 20 years is alot better than balls to walls no hold bar BS We don't care mentality.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

I live in coal country. Back in the 70's and early 80's we experienced the influx/impact. In the papers everyday. Today it is peaceful with everyone working and raising their families.

 

[gst]

Kinda like thinking the states can afford to maintain all the federal land transferred to them??

Not at all. The management of public lands by the states can be a self generating revenue source where expenditures are reliant on what is generated. Kinda of like the original Federal multiple usage agreements did.

If you think there is a direct similarity please explain possibly in a thread discussing that topic.

mean while here are a couple links for you to read.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/...ic-lands-for-recreation-better-than-feds.html

http://growinggeorgia.com/features/2016/06/states-better-feds-managing-land/

 

[ItemB]

It just amazes me how short of memories people have. I guess some of you would have rather been going through what most of the rest of the country went through with foreclosed homes and no jobs. We were one of the very few lucky states that didn't get hit hard by the recession. A huge reason for that was the boom. Maybe some of you were so sheltered here that you couldn't comprehend what was going on but when I talked to people that moved here to try and save their homes and families I got a little different perspective. Sure there is a lot of bad that comes with oil but there is a lot worse that comes from losing your home and your job and wondering when the economy would turn around so you can pick up the pieces and start over.

Commodity prices were at all time highs a few years back when the boom was happening, so I think ND would have been alright. I think the boom and not controlling things was bad. But having higher paying jobs in the state is/was a good thing it gives a guy options or makes other companies up there pay to keep good employees.

 

[johnr]

I never understood the rush to get 200 drilling rigs going. Was the oil going to go somewhere if we didn't go apeshit getting after it?

We have a ton of apartment buildings, and hotels in our little city that I am sure are not making anyone sleep well at night.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

From GST Desert News story:

Federal agencies, too, can be constrained by multiple-use mandates that Anderson said results in often putting competing recreational uses on a collision course. National parks struggle with balancing mountain bikers on trails with hikers and those on horseback and go through extensive travel management plans.

That reminds me of a story. A few guys took a pack string up the mountain on switchbacks. The guy telling the story said he was mid to further back when all of sudden panicked horses mules and gear were coming down the mountain at him. He reached into the scabbard for his rifle thinking bear or something.

It was a guy on a mountain bike coming down the mountain too fast around the corner and with back wheel locked, skidded into the lead horse.

 

[Mort]

We have a ton of apartment buildings, and hotels in our little city that I am sure are not making anyone sleep well at night.

Same here in Willy...we got over 3500 empty apartments think we got like 25 motels..hell that more than Fargo/Moorhead put together....two went belly up already (marquis and missouri flats) those were not newly built, I suspect when they got bought out after the owner deceased, the new owners didn't do so well, so they threw the keys in. More houses for sale now than when the boom was going AWOL. I have 4 new apartment building directly across the street from me, and the last building was just finishing when everything cut lose, I had doubts it fill, but by george, it has tenants which unbelievable. Rent has come down and now starting to see price war going on amoung the apartment developments.

 

[Davy Crockett]

Ouch. Sounds like it grew more than I realized it did out there. Pretty sure I'd cringe if I knew how many new schools, public buildings and infrastructure we ended up with that the need was based solely on the population boom. I watched a couple schools bid and the construction prices were through the roof, Like 30-40% or more what it would bid for today. I got a chuckle about the Dickinson water tower , Engineers missed that by a mile. No idea how that could of happened.

 

[Reprobait]

I get to Dickinson/Williston/Watford on occasion. I find it all fascinating. I look at all these new building and wonder how many may become abandoned in the near future. It will be interesting.

 

[Kurtr]

Ouch. Sounds like it grew more than I realized it did out there. Pretty sure I'd cringe if I knew how many new schools, public buildings and infrastructure we ended up with that the need was based solely on the population boom. I watched a couple schools bid and the construction prices were through the roof, Like 30-40% or more what it would bid for today. I got a chuckle about the Dickinson water tower , Engineers missed that by a mile. No idea how that could of happened.

I know the guy who built Williston water treatment plant and they are now having problems because not enough water is passing through it. It was built for triple or more than the inflows it is taking now

 

[Davy Crockett]

I know the guy who built Williston water treatment plant and they are now having problems because not enough water is passing through it. It was built for triple or more than the inflows it is taking now

That's gotta sting , Makes a guy wonder who will get stung with that mistake The city or the engineers.

 

[Mort]

Engineers will..smh...they not so smart now a days..smh again.....yeah...and so we get stuck with the bill for a plant that doesn't operate right...smh again..only in williston...

 

[eyexer]

I just hope those in the oil business will have enough sand to tell these companies to update your existing pipelines as well as hold these companies responsible for millions of dollars in damages to be paid at pennies on the dollar. All those who hated the protesters for standing up to big oils raping and pillaging of our natural resources will stand up when one of these big oil companies drops the ball.
It doesn't effect me to a certain point other that my job depends on oil revenue but when I here eye or others coming online posting all the bad shit that is going on in the patch just to stir the pot of a business he or they are directly involved in is a hypocritical BS.

here's the problem with the pipelines and protesters etc. all these leaks are on state regulated lines. what's that tell you? so people naturally think they are an issue. when in fact these interstate lines are highly regulated and have to have leak detection the intrastate ones don't have to have. hard to convince people these interstate lines are safe when the intrastate ones aren't. ND needs to really start forcing monitoring of the lines. Can you give me an example where I stirred the pot and was a hypocrit of a business I was directly involved with?

 

[Kurtr]

That's gotta sting , Makes a guy wonder who will get stung with that mistake The city or the engineers.

I would guess city as it was finished before it really crashed

 

[Captain Ahab]

You guys act as if the oil is all gone and prices will never rise again.