Page 4 ■ Thursday, March 22, 2012


BAKKEN NEWS


Morton developing man camp ordinance


By LEANN ECKROTH Bismarck Tribune


The spread of man camps in western


North Dakota has prompted Morton County to draft proposed changes to its special use permits. The draft ordinance calls for setbacks, fees and siting requirements. The Mor- ton County Planning and Zoning Com- mission will hold a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. March 29 at the commission meet- ing room of the Morton County Court- house. “We have things in our code that can get them started, but not for the long- term,” said county Commissioner Andy Zachmeier, who serves on the planning and zoning commission. Zachmeier said the biggest concerns about man camps deal with emergency services and the re- sources required of government entities. Bruce Strinden, chairman of the Mor-


ton County Commission, said the draft ordinance requires setbacks of 4,000 feet away from residences, businesses, schools and churches in rural jurisdic- tions and/or from cities’ extraterritorial borders. It requires a description of the units including how many there are and how they will spaced. A $400 planning and zoning fee is re-


quired for each occupant of a man camp, Strinden said.


A special use fee of $35,000 every two


years would be charged for up to the fi rst 100 occupants and an additional $5,000 per year for every 100 more beyond


that. Strinden said the extra fees would be used to compensate entities for extra personnel needed. Strinden also said the draft code calls for bonding to clean up when a man camp leaves. The fee ranges from $20,000 for a man camp with up to 50 people to $250,000 for a man camp with up to 1,200 occupants. The proposed ordinance requires


permits from the state Health Depart- ment and local health agencies for fresh water, refuse disposal and septic or sewer discharge plans. If they gets a favorable recommenda-


tion by the planning and zoning com- mission, the ordinance changes would be considered by the Morton County Commission for a fi nal decision. Both Zachmeier and Strinden said


they don’t know if man camps are com- ing, but said they want to be prepared. “The western part of the county would be most likely impacted,” Strinden said. “We don’t know if there will be drilling, but as the drilling moves closer to the in- terstate, there may be man camps.” Zachmeier said there have been “feel-


ers” or inquiries about some properties near the Glen Ullin area and Mandan. He said most camps are self-policed for minor offenses. The proposed man camp ordinance asks for a list of rules and regulations for occupants. (Reach reporter LeAnn Eckroth at 701- 250-8264 or leann.eckroth@bismarcktri- bune.com.)


BAKKEN BREAKOUT WEEKLY


Man camp ordinance tabled until April 11


By LEANN ECHROTH Bismarck Tribune


The Burleigh County Planning


and Zoning Commission delayed action on a man camp ordinance March 14.


The issue is to be discussed at


5:15 p.m. on April 11. Kim Lee, planner for the Bis-


marck Community Development, was unable to attend the March 14 meeting, and discussion on the issue was limited. Vice Planning Chair- man Neil Effertz said the commis- sion wants it clear in the code that the sites are intended to be tempo- rary.


Discussion resumed about the


size of accessory buildings allowed on small parcels of platted rural land. The county now permits them to be 1,400-1,800 square feet on two acres. The amendment raises that up to 2,400 square feet to house larger campers and other items. A public hearing for the amendment is also scheduled for April 11. Bismarck City and Burleigh


County Building Offi cial Ray Ziegler said the ordinance includes word- ing that allows a landowner to seek a special use permit for more space than the 2,400 square feet. Zoning commissioners voted to


continue the public hearing about the code for meat packing facili- ties to next month. The proposed amendment requires that a proposed meatpacking facility applicant ob- tain a special use permit. Commis- sioners want a clearer explanation of what under the code makes a larger meatpacking facility and what is a smaller operation. They questioned if a small operator needed to follow as strict of a code in the ordinance as large ones. The proposed fl ood plain ordi-


nance that raises the lowest inhabit- able fl oor of a home to be 2 feet above the fl ood plain was also continued to next month. The city of Bismarck adopted a similar ordinance for new homes. Burleigh County tabled it in November 2010. Planning Commissioner Brian


Bitner said he was concerned “that new construction is protected at a higher level. ...We’re talking about a little more stringent level than what was adopted in the city. It’s a higher level.” He said the point of the higher


level is to prevent basements from fl ooding like they did in 2011. (Reach reporter LeAnn Eckroth at 701-250-8264 or leann.eckroth@bis- marcktribune.com.)


MDU reaches Bakken milestone


ny, Fidelity Exploration & Production Co., has produced a record of more than 3,500 barrels per day in the Bak- ken area. “It shows the investment we made


An MDU Resources Group compa-


last year in expanding our oil produc- tion is beginning to pay off,” said Rick Matteson, MDU Resources communi- cations director. Including wells that Fidelity partial-


“We now have the acreage, drilling rigs and services as well as the organizational capability and experience to sustainably grow our


ly owns but does not operate, the com- pany produces a peak rate of more than 5,000 barrels of oil per day, according to a MDU Resources press release.


Bakken production.” – Fidelity’s Chief Executive Offi cer Kent Wells


Fidelity holds leases on about 124,000 acres in the Bakken area and plans to invest $160 million in the area this year, the release said. The company will be operating fi ve drilling rigs in the Bakken area in the near future. Fidel- ity operates 58 wells in the Bakken area Matteson said. The increase in production also


indicates Fidelity is getting better at drilling wells, Matteson said. The lat- est eight wells drilled have shown a 44 percent improvement in production over previously drilled wells. The most recently drilled long-lateral horizontal


well was drilled in a record 28 days. “We now have the acreage, drilling


rigs and services as well as the organi- zational capability and experience to sustainably grow our Bakken produc- tion,” Fidelity’s Chief Executive Offi cer Kent Wells said in a release. “We are on our way to reaching our


goal of increasing oil production by 20 percent to 30 percent this year over 2011, with plans to invest $400 million in this business this year,” MDU Re- sources Chief Executive Offi cer Terry Hildestad said in a release.


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