Page 10 ■ Thursday, January 26, 2012


BAKKEN NEWS Rules to cut North Dakota oil waste pits endorsed


By DALE WETZEL Associated Press


regulators on Jan. 23 endorsed new rules aimed at reducing the number of oil waste disposal pits and disclosing the chemical makeup of fl uids pumped underground to coax oil to the surface. The rules, developed over several


months, are acceptable to western North Dakota’s burgeoning oil industry, even though they are likely to increase pro- duction costs, an industry representative said.


group said the regulations were not strict enough, saying they should at least re- quire fl ow monitors on pipelines used to dispose of salt water. Brine is a byprod- uct of oil drilling, and some recent large spills have contaminated farmland. The new rules do not require all dis- posal lines to have fl ow monitors, said Donald Nelson, of Keene, spokesman for the Dakota Resource Council. “We can’t afford to sacrifi ce agricul-


A spokesman for an environmental BISMARCK — North Dakota oil


a legislative oversight committee. Lynn Helms, director of the Department of Mineral Resources, said he hoped they would be in place by June. North Dakota’s oil production has


more than quadrupled in the last fi ve years, from 115,370 barrels daily in No- vember 2006 to 509,754 barrels daily last November, agency data shows. During the same period, the number of operat- ing oil wells jumped from 3,415 to more than 6,000. When a well is drilled, a producer


typically digs an open pit to use for dumping oil-drilling muds, diesel fuel and chemicals used during the drilling process, as well as rock chips ground up by the drill itself. The pit is later fi lled in and reclaimed. The new rules mostly ban the dump-


tural production for the convenience of the oil and gas industry,” he said. North Dakota’s Industrial Commis- sion on Monday approved the regula- tions. Gov. Jack Dalrymple is chairman of the commission, which oversees the state Department of Mineral Resources, North Dakota’s oil and gas regulatory agency. The commission’s other mem- bers are Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. The rules still must undergo review by


ing of liquid drilling wastes into an open pit, unless the well is less than 5,000 feet deep or the drilling muds contain mostly fresh water. Drilling muds are used to maintain a well’s pressure, cool the drill bit and clear away ground-up rock chips. The regulations do allow producers to use open pits to dispose of rock chips and other solid wastes. “There are extraordinary circum-


ASSOCIATED PRESS


Gov. Jack Dalrymple speaks during a meeting of the state Industrial Commission, which discussed oil waste rules on Jan. 23.


stances that may arise where you need an open bit for a well below 5,000 feet,” Stenehjem said. “But that is to be the ex- ception, not the rule.” The rules also affect hydraulic fractur-


ing, a process that is driving North Dako- ta’s oil production. Water, grit and chem- icals are pumped underground at high pressure to crack, or fracture, oil-bearing shale rock and promote oil fl ows.


ing” a well, the rules require them to post information about the chemical compo- sition of the fl uid they used within 60 days, Helms said. All oil wells must carry bonds, which


Once oil companies fi nished “frack-


accepting the rules last month when Dal- rymple said they were too vague . Ron Ness, president of the North Da-


are intended to cover cleanup costs if they are abandoned. Individual oil wells must carry a $50,000 bond, an increase from $20,000, the rules say, and bonds that cover more than one well must be at least $100,000. Wells used for commercial dis- posal of salt water must have a bond for at least $50,000.


The Industrial Commission delayed


kota Petroleum Council, said the indus- try backed the rule changes. “They are going to add substantial


cost to the operations, and substantial investment in the equipment,” Ness said. “You have to extract all of those liquids on (the well) site. You have to haul those liquids off site ... More equipment. More costs.”


St. Alexius to affi liate with McKenzie County


By MARA VAN ELLS Bismarck Tribune


come affi liated with McKenzie County Healthcare Systems of Watford City in the next month, hospital offi cials said. “There isn’t a defi nitive timeline, but


St. Alexius Medical Center will be-


both Gary (Miller, CEO of St. Alexius) and Iagree that we’ll move forward as quickly as possible,” Daniel Kelly, CEO of McKenzie County Healthcare Sys- tems, said Jan.16. Kelly said St. Alexius would help


McKenzie recruit additional primary care physicians and provide the clinic with specialty physicians about once a month. Kurt Waldbillig, vice president of


relationship.” “St. Alexius is always wanting to col-


laborate with facilities so we want to make sure that we’re meeting the needs that McKenzie County Health Systems wants us to meet and help them meet the needs of their community,” he said. “It could be ever-changing from day


physician services and outreach at St. Alexius, said the affi liation between the two organizations will be an “evolving


its has risen 25 percent and emergency room visits have doubled since last year. He attributed the “exponential” increase to the infl ux of people in western North Dakota since the oil boom. “It really heightens our need to have specialists in Watford City and our need to recruit additional physicians to our practice,” he said. Kelly said he was originally ap- proached by a facility in Montana that


to day, which is good, which is how we like to work,” he said. Kelly said the number of clinic vis-


St. A’s is the patients would have a fa- miliarity with St. A’s and then when they need surgery or tertiary care, they would seek that at St. A’s as opposed to elsewhere,” he said. St. Alexius will help advise McKenzie


on a potential facilities master plan in the next two years or so, Kelly said. “Parts of (the hospital) are currently


was interested in affi liation. The facility is more than fi ve hours away, Kelly said, and it seemed more logical to seek an affi liation with a North Dakota provid- er. McKenzie already had been referring patients to St. Alexius, he added. “The benefi t (of the affi liation) for


move the clinic and hospital onto 35 acres the health care system owns, Kelly said.


ing center are already located on the 35 acres. The clinic and hospital are housed in separate buildings, across the street from one another. The future fa- cility would put the two entities in one building. Waldbillig said St. Alexius has ex-


too small, and it would be more cost-ef- fective to replace the facility and build what we need rather than continue to pour money into an old facility,” he said, adding that the hospital is more than 50 years old.


munity,” he said. (Reach Mara Van Ells at 701-250- 8251 or mara.vanells@bismarcktribune. com.)


tion. “It truly is a benefi t to a rural com-


pertise in terms of expansion and could help McKenzie look at things like pa- tient fl ow and future growth. Kelly is optimistic about the affi lia-


The nursing home and assisted liv- McKenzie offi cials are looking to


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