Basin Electric members and tribal members testify at RUS hearing

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The proposed north Killdeer loop will deliver power into member cooperative McKenzie Electric Cooperative’s service territory.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative - January 17, 2014

John Skurupey, McKenzie Electric CEO and general manager, testifies in favor of Basin Electric's proposed north Killdeer loop transmission line segment.

Representatives of Basin Electric member cooperatives testified in favor of a proposed Basin Electric transmission project in the Williston Basin at a public hearing held by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Jan. 16 in Watford City, ND.

Basin Electric plans to build, operate and maintain an approximately 278-mile 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission project from Antelope Valley Station (AVS) to Neset in western North Dakota. The RUS, an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is considering funding the project and is preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project.

The Jan. 16 hearing gave the public an opportunity to comment on a supplemental draft EIS that evaluates an additional transmission line segment that would interconnect with the previously proposed AVS to Neset project at a switchyard near Killdeer, ND. The project, called the north Killdeer loop, includes 60 miles of 345-kV transmission line and two substations that will deliver power into member cooperative McKenzie Electric Cooperative’s service territory.

About 20 people attended the Jan. 16 hearing. Representing Basin Electric Basin Electric were Curt Pearson, manager of media and community relations; Kelly Suko, property and right of way project coordinator; and Cris Miller, senior environmental project administrator. Basin Electric members Claire Vigesaa, Upper Missouri G & T Electric Cooperative manager, and John Skurupey, McKenzie Electric CEO and general manager, testified at the hearing.

Skurupey said that the cooperative’s rapid growth warrants construction of the additional line segment.

“Without this additional north Killdeer loop, members who may want additional electricity or new members wanting electricity at a new home site, water well or commercial location will eventually be refused service for the sake of keeping the lights on for those who are currently being served,” Skurupey said. “This is not a futuristic prediction but rather a road we’re traveling and a stop sign we’re already slowing down for.”

Several members of North Dakota Native American tribes and a member of the Killdeer Mountain Alliance spoke against the proposed route of the AVS to Neset line at the hearing. As proposed, the line would run south of the Killdeer Mountain Battlefield State Historic Site, though cross about 27 square miles of a proposed study of privately-owned lands near the designated historic site.

The north Killdeer loop project requires authorization from the North Dakota Public Service Commission and several federal and state agencies to move forward in the federal EIS process. Basin Electric plans to start construction on the transmission line segment in 2016, with the line in service in 2017.

The public comment period ends Feb. 3. Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent todennis.rankin@wdc.usda.gov or:

Mr. Dennis Rankin, environmental protection specialist
USDA, Rural Utilities Service
1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Stop 1571
Washington, DC 20250-1571

The supplemental draft EIS is available at www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP-AVS-Neset.html.

http://www.basinelectric.com/News_Center/Publications/News_Briefs/basin-electric-members-and-tribal-members-testify-at-rus-hearing.html

The Final stages for Basin Electric's Transmission Line

The Final stages for Basin Electric's Transmission Line

Posted: Jan 17, 2014 12:06 PM CSTUpdated: Jan 17, 2014 12:27 PM CST

 

Last November, we visited the Killdeer Battlefield historical site, which is at the center of a new controversy. Basin Electric proposed to run a transmission line from its coal power plant in Beulah to Williston.

But that route would place the transmission line within 2 miles of that site, and run near the Killdeer Mountains.

Basin Electric and USDA Rural Utility Services, has already met with the public in Watford City, on the proposed transmission line. But if you couldn't make it to the meeting, the USDA still wants to hear your comments.

"There's still time. There are a lot of ways people can do that. They can email and give information but what's really important is that there are alternatives and I think people need to talk about and tell the agency and Basin Electric that there are other ways to do this," says Dakota Resource Council director, Don Morrison.

Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk says the project is in the final stages before a decision can be made. He says it's just a matter of finalizing an environmental impact study.

"The commission held three different hearings around the state and during those hearings we received in put from the public the computer made their case as to why this power line is needed so we completed the hearings. After the hearings we were quite honestly waiting for some information from some of the different concerned groups we received all that information now and we have work sessions set up in early February and I'm anticipating a decision sometime this spring, it will make for a very detailed process," says Public Service Commissioner, Brian Kalk. 

The PSC has a draft of the environmental impact statement. Once that's finalized, the commission will use it, along with public testimony and other materials, to make its decision.

"Civil War 150" at DSU ~ Outgoing Tax Commissioner Cory Fong

By SKIP WOOD

Main Street for January 3

8:55

53:00

A national exhibit on the Civil War is now showing at Dickinson State. “Civil War 150” features letters, personal accounts and images from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, tracing the major events of the war through the eyes of those who experienced it. Joining us are Rita Ennen, director of the Stoxen Library; and Jim McWilliams, DSU professor of English. ~~~ A New Year’s essay from Beth Diane Bradley. ~~~ In lieu of his usual discussion of recent headlines, news director Dave Thompson visits with outgoing tax commissioner Cory Fong, who reflects on the changes he’s seen during his time in office. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews “Wolf of Wall Street” and “Anchorman 2.”

http://news.prairiepublic.org/post/civil-war-150-dsu-outgoing-tax-commissioner-cory-fong

Battle Lines vs. Power Lines: Part 3

Battle Lines vs. Power Lines: Part 3

Posted: Nov 14, 2013 6:40 PM CSTUpdated: Nov 14, 2013 9:08 PM CST

KMOT.COM - Minot, ND - News, Weather, Sports

It was here on the Killdeer Battlefield that a U.S. military force commanded by General Alfred Sully attacked several groups of the Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota Sioux nations. And it is also the site Professor Tom Isern has chosen for a historical study.

"Killdeer Mountain was chosen because it is the climactic engagement of the Dakota War. I commonly refer to it as the Gettysburg of the plains. Not because of the numbers involved but because of the fate of the sovereign nations are in the battles in this fall day in 1864," says Isern.

Isern says that the growth in North Dakota prompted the study.

"With the rapid pace of development in Western North Dakota there's a sense that we should get a handle on what went down on this battlefield. It's money to figure out what happened where."

The study will be conducted in two parts, starting with looking at historical documents.

"Mostly it's a historical study with historical documents that go all the way back to commanders reports and enlisted men's diaries. And at some point we will ask permission to go on the ground as much as we can and look around. And try and figure out what people would have done in this place given what we know from the documents," says Isern. 

Isern says he thinks that Basin Electric and the historical study can co-exist, but it could mean moving the transmission line. 

"I don't question the need for energy infrastructure in Western North Dakota. The route now specified runs right across the most historic site in all of North America. And that might be a matter of debate I believe it is. But I'm not sure it needs to go exactly in that place."




http://www.kmot.com/story/23974882/battle-lines-vs-power-lines-part-3

Statement of the Killdeer Mountain Alliance to the North Dakota Public Service Commission Regarding the Proposed Antelope Valley Station to Neset Transmission Project, Case #: PU-11-696

Statement of the Killdeer Mountain Alliance to the North Dakota Public Service Commission Regarding the Proposed Antelope Valley Station to Neset Transmission Project, Case #: PU-11-696

September 4, 2013

We are deeply concerned that Basin Electric Power Cooperative is proposing to construct new transmission lines and a 12-acre substation along the south face of the Killdeer Mountains. We ask the Public Service Commission to reject this part of the proposed route for the following reasons:

·         The Killdeer Mountains are important to all North Dakotans for historic, archaeological, ecological, cultural, and recreational reasons.

·         The Mountains hold deep historical and cultural significance for the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota, Dakota, and other tribes.

·         In spite of mitigation efforts, the proposed transmission line and substation would negatively impact the view and experience of the beautiful Killdeer Mountains, both from the highways and from higher on the Mountain. 

·         The proposed transmission line and substation would pass within the boundary of the 70,000+-acre Killdeer Mountain Battlefield area, as identified in the 2010 National Park Service study* (see attached map). The proposed substation would have been in the core battlefield area (inner circle on map).  We are pleased this location has now been removed from the proposal, but the proposed transmission line route remains a concern.

·         Basin Electric’s archaeological finding of “no significant cultural sites” was apparently based on State Historic Preservation Office records for the battlefield boundaries, which were not current at the time. These records are in the process of being updated now to match the battlefield boundaries identified in the National Park Service study.*

·         However, the National Park Service study was published in 2010 with the State Historic Preservation Office as a respondent on the document. We believe the 2010 date of document completion precedes Basin Electric’s proposal of their transmission routes, so that information was available to the Basin Electric archaeologist and on the Internet.

·         In other words, it appears that the Historic Preservation Office did not communicate adequately with the Basin Electric archaeology consultant about this, and vice versa.

·         In addition, the State Historic Preservation Office surely knew that the Killdeer Battlefield qualified for the National Register of Historic Places.

·          If either of these pieces of information had been communicated to Basin Electric in their planning process, today’s discussion would probably not be happening, because, according to their own testimony, they said that they avoided every site in this project that was known to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. We ask the Commission to request that Basin Electric submit a revised route based on the amended information.

·         Another reason to delay this decision is that funding has recently been approved for a two-year collaborative study of the Killdeer Mountain Battlefield area. North Dakotans deserve to know the outcomes of this study before a decision is made about a transmission line through or near the Killdeer Mountain area.
·         Basin Electric now wants approval of a second transmission line to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry, and the second line they are proposing is the alternative they originally presented to the Killdeer Mountain route. Does this mean that their proposal no longer lists the “range of reasonable alternatives” that are required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)?   If it doesn't meet that requirement, they should be required to develop other alternatives.
·         In addition, the entire environmental impact statement required by NEPA is still in draft stage.  Will it be completed before a final decision is made?
·         Related to this, the proposed route is a major threat--through electrocutions and line strikes--to nesting, hunting, dispersing, and migrating golden eagles. According to eagle researcher Dr. Margi Coyle, the portion near the Killdeer Mountains would run adjacent to three golden eagle nesting territories and directly through golden eagle hunting territory. 
·         Furthermore, we have been told that the Sisseton Wahpeton tribe has not been consulted in the Environmental Impact Statement and has not received a copy of the cultural resource report.  We ask that you look into this and ensure that they, as descendants of some of those who fought in the Killdeer Mountain Battle, are consulted.
·         Finally, the Killdeer Mountains are included on the recent list of forty special places identified by the Governor and the North Dakota Industrial Commission as having unique historical, cultural, and recreational significance to North Dakotans. Although our focus is on protecting the Killdeer Mountains, we respectfully ask the Public Service Commission to reject any portion of this proposed transmission line that would negatively impact these forty places.  We owe this to our children, our grandchildren, and ourselves.

You have asked that we make recommendations for alternatives.  We recommend that it be moved to a location that addresses all of the concerns we have described today. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Rob Sand (Killdeer) and Lori Jepson (Killdeer)

Coordinators, Killdeer Mountain Alliance

*http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/cwsii/CWSACReportNorthDakotaUpdate.pdf

See attached map.

Contact information

Rob Sand, 93 112^th Avenue NW, Killdeer, ND 58640; killdeermtn@gmail.com; 863-7263

Lori Jepson, 11430 Main Street, Killdeer, ND 58640; lorijepson@ndsupernet.com; 863-6653

Killdeer Mountain Alliance

The Killdeer Mountain Alliance is a loose alliance of local landowners, Native Americans, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, scientists, historians, archaeologists, and others who love the Killdeer Mountains and agree with the mission statement: "The Killdeer Mountain Alliance exists to preserve the cultural, spiritual, ecological, archaeological, and historical integrity of the Killdeer Mountains of western North Dakota and protect them from industrial development that harms the American Indian sites, plant and wildlife habitat, ranching, hunting, tourism, scenic beauty, and recreation for which the Killdeer Mountains are known and loved."

For more information, see our facebook site—Killdeer Mountain Alliance.  See also a separate site: The Battle for Killdeer Mountain < http://savekilldeermountain.blogspot.com/>

Press Release - Killdeer Mountain History Hike Offered at Killdeer Mountain Battlefield State Historic Site

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 16, 2013
Contact: Diane Rogness
701.328.3508

Killdeer Mountain History Hike Offered at Killdeer Mountain Battlefield State Historic Site

KILLDEER – The public is invited to participate in the 12th annual Killdeer Mountain History Hike on Saturday, July 27, sponsored by the State Historical Society of North Dakota. This free program is a guided hike starting at the base of Killdeer Mountain and ending at what is known as the Medicine Hole. Along the route, the 1864 Battle of Killdeer Mountain and the Medicine Hole’s significance will be discussed.

The hike guide will be Chris Johnson, Museum Division director for the State Historical Society of North Dakota, which manages the site. The Killdeer Mountain Battlefield State Historic Site is 11 miles northwest of Killdeer in Dunn County in west-central North Dakota. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and to bring sunscreen, insect repellent, and a bottle of water. A hiking stick is also suggested.

A car pool will depart from the Runnings parking lot in Dickinson on Saturday, July 27 at 8 a.m. (MT). This car pool will also stop at the public swimming pool’s parking lot in Killdeer at 8:45 a.m. (MT) to pick up additional participants. For more information, contact Diane Rogness at 701.328.3508 or email drogness@nd.gov.

The Battle of Killdeer Mountain occurred July 28, 1864, when a U.S. military force commanded by Brigadier General Alfred Sully attacked several groups of the Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota (Sioux) nations camped at this location. Sully’s force had been sent into Dakota Territory to develop routes to western gold fields and to punish Indians who had participated in Minnesota’s Dakota Conflict of 1862. Many of the Sioux groups gathered at Killdeer Mountain had not participated in the Dakota Conflict and had sought to make peace with the government. Sully’s force, equipped with several cannons, attacked and shelled the encampment, causing warriors, as well as unarmed men, women, and children, to flee into the Little Missouri Badlands. American Indian oral tradition says that many of these people escaped through an opening at the top of Killdeer Mountain known as the Medicine Hole. Sully estimated between 100 and 150 Sioux were killed, but the exact number is unknown. His troops suffered two deaths. The Sioux lodges and all winter supplies were destroyed by Sully’s men who then moved west across the Badlands to Fort Union Trading Post at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers near what is now Williston, ND. During this march, the soldiers skirmished with many of the warriors they had faced at Killdeer Mountain. The conflict at Killdeer Mountain further embittered relations between many Northern Plains tribes and the U.S. government. Sully’s campaign, culminating at Killdeer Mountain, was a prelude to the Sioux Wars of the 1870s.

For more information about SHSND events, call 701.328.2666 or visit history.nd.gov.

http://www.history.nd.gov/pressroom/historyHike.html

Published March 13, 2013, 12:00 AM

Battle for Killdeer Mountain decided; Foes of drilling near historic site out of options

FARGO — Oil developers appear to have won the battle for the Killdeer Battlefield, a historic site in the western North Dakota Badlands near where a New York-based company has begun laying groundwork for wells.

By: Dave Kolpack, The Associated Press

FARGO — Oil developers appear to have won the battle for the Killdeer Battlefield, a historic site in the western North Dakota Badlands near where a New York-based company has begun laying groundwork for wells.
Preparations by Hess Corp. come despite objections by some area residents, American Indians, historians and others who wanted further study on the idea before drilling started.
The company’s plans persuaded one couple who live near the Killdeer Mountains to hire an attorney and another couple to join them as leaders of a protest group. But most opposed to the oil development fear it’s too late to stop it.
“I don’t know if it’s a hopeless case yet. It looks that way,” said landowner Rob Sand, whose grandparents once owned the land in western North Dakota where U.S. Army and American Indian soldiers clashed nearly 150 years ago.
Hess officials declined to be interviewed but said in a statement they are “progressing with early site preparation” and expect construction to take place in the coming weeks.
“Hess Corporation is committed to meeting the highest standards of corporate citizenship by protecting the health and safety of our employees, safeguarding the environment and making a positive impact on the communities in which we do business,” the statement said. “We seek to minimize our impact on the environment in all aspects of our operations in North Dakota.”
Sand and his wife, Mary, along with fellow landowners, Loren and Lori Jepson, have led the opposition to the drilling plans and formed the Killdeer Mountain Alliance. The Jepsons have filed unsuccessful appeals with the state Industrial Commission — which granted drilling permits to Hess — but apparently have run out of options.
Thomas Gehrz, attorney for the Jepsons, said a lawsuit doesn’t appear likely at this point because it would cost too much.
“My clients throughout this whole thing have said, ‘Let’s sit down and talk about it.’ We don’t need to make a big fight out of it. We just want our concerns dealt with and we don’t think they’re unreasonable,” Gehrz said. “Hess was apparently not interested.”
The Industrial Commission, made up of Gov. Jack Dalrymple, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, in January approved a request from Hess to drill up to eight wells in the Killdeer Mountains area. The commission later rejected an appeal to reconsider by the Jepsons, who said state Mineral and Resource Director Lynn Helms was biased in his recommendation to approve the new wells in an area where four have already been approved.
“I just can’t predict where it’s going to go,” said Rob Sand, 65. “I have a personal love for the land. I grew up riding horses there and playing all over the place. And I have an interest in history. These things matter.”
Richard Rothaus, a Sauk Rapids, Minn., archaeologist who has an office in Fargo, and Tom Isern, a North Dakota State University history professor, have applied for a National Park Service grant to study the battlefield. They and other historians believe the 1864 skirmish may have been the most important encounter between the U.S. forces and Native Americans.
“For people who are Indian war buffs, this is the fight they should be looking at,” Isern said. “This sets the mold.”
During the one-day battle, Gen. Alfred Sully’s troops essentially formed a giant square with thousands of soldiers on the outside and horses and artillery on the inside. The group marched across the prairie toward Killdeer Mountain and the Dakota village, where U.S. soldiers destroyed tipis, belongings and the winter food supply.
“If you could view it from above, this would be like a Star Wars scene of some sort of futuristic warfare,” Isern said.
Although the U.S. soldiers claimed victory, Rothaus said the experience taught Indian warriors like Sitting Bull and others how to combat mountain howitzers.
“To me, that right there is the start of the war that ends in Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee,” Rothaus said.
Calvin “Bear” First, whose ancestors were among the Indian warriors at Killdeer battle, organized a “wipe away the tears” ceremony at the site in July 2001 to honor the participants and shed light on details from the event. He said the area has cultural meaning to many people and is worried that oil development will diminish its significance.
“The written history doesn’t show how important it really was,” said First, the compliance officer for the Fort Peck Tribes in Montana. “It really shaped the war for what happened after that. And really there are still so many unknowns about that time.”
The North Dakota Senate last month rejected a bill that would have provided a small amount of money to the state Historical Society to study the battlefield. Lawmakers from both parties originally lined up in favor of the bill, but backed off after complaints by some residents who said they didn’t want government in their business.
Rothaus said his study will continue, despite possible damage to the area around the Killdeer Mountain Battlefield, because “there are still large portions of the battlefield left.”
Loren Jepson said he’s mainly worried about oil traffic on what is a main road for Killdeer residents and one where children catch the school bus. He said alternate oil extraction options should have been considered, but “no one was willing to listen.”

This Nov. 25 photo provided by archaeologist Richard Rothaus shows a panoramic view of the Killdeer Mountains Battlefield site in western North Dakota. The historic battlefield is near the site where early oil well site preparations have begun, Hess Corp. said.

http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/66400/

Committee trims bill to survey Killdeer Mountain battlefield site

Committee trims bill to survey Killdeer Mountain battlefield site

20 hours ago  •  By BRIAN GEHRING | Bismarck Tribune

A bill that would have appropriated $250,000 to survey the Killdeer Mountains battlefield area has been scaled back considerably.

Monday, the Senate Government and Veterans Affairs Committee voted 6-1 to approve the bill, but cut the funding to $4,999.

The bill, Senate Bill 2341, had its first hearing on Friday before the committee and had broad support from the archaeological community and some area landowners.

They want the area studied before more oil exploration is done in the area which is considered by some to be the most significant battle site between U.S. forces and American Indians in terms of people involved and land area.

The bill drew opposition from one landowner, Bryan Dvirnak, whose family has owned part of the battlefield since 1928. He said no one had contacted his family regarding the survey.

Another amendment to the bill stipulates the State Historical Society of North Dakota must have written permission from landowners, defining the scope and conditions of the survey and access to the land.

Artifacts discovered and preservation of the site would be up to the landowner under the amendment.

http://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/committee-trims-bill-to-survey-killdeer-mountain-battlefield-site/article_481f7a88-7564-11e2-bc97-0019bb2963f4.html

From the Newsroom: Our oil boom a Catch-22?

From the Newsroom: Our oil boom a Catch-22?

Posted on 08 February 2013 by Bryce Martin

North Dakota currently is a state overwhelmed by an unprecedented oil boom and everybody that lives and works here knows it and feels it on a daily basis.

Bryce Martin

By BRYCE MARTIN

Herald Editor

Posted Feb. 8, 2013 

North Dakota currently is a state overwhelmed by an unprecedented oil boom and everybody that lives and works here knows it and feels it on a daily basis.

Last week, I wrote a story outlining an area study focusing on the Bakken oil boom’s effects and a generalization of what it will mean for us years down the road based upon similar mineral booms within the country. Its findings weren’t much of a surprise – it pointed out the short-term effects we’re already feeling and the long-term effects most already are predicting.

Then there are the effects unforeseen on paper, namely drilling atop the Killdeer Mountains.

To ensure recovery of a meager amount of fossil fuels, which seems minimal on a larger scale, the state of North Dakota is allowing an oil company to disrupt a documented historical site and inhibit the natural beauty of one of our area’s largest landmarks.

And it’s a problem not only facing North Dakota – oil drilling taking precedent over regional beauty and aesthetic pleasures.

Since the 1970s, there has been an ongoing controversy on whether to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, also called the “1002 Area.” It consists of 1.5 million acres on the northeastern plain of Alaska. While the controversy there stems from what potential effects would be on the dramatic number of wildlife sheltered within that area, it is not too dissimilar from our own quandary here in Killdeer, albeit on a much larger scale.

The United States Geological Survey estimated that between 5.67 and 16.1 billion barrels of crude oil and natural gas are contained within the 1002 Area. Nearly 3.5 million oil barrels are estimated to be located under the surface in Killdeer.

A bill was signed into law in 1980 that established parks and refuges in the Alaskan area. Oil drilling was permitted on the land, but not without approval by Congress, which is where both sides of the issue focused – groups lobbied to ensure Congress would favor their particular side. The debate continues, but has lost momentum in the previous years.

While both issues deal with drilling in sensitive areas, unlike the land in Alaska, our area is only protected by public outcry. But the state’s oil and gas commission issued its unsavory decision on mountain drilling and the issue seems to have propelled its way out from the hands of the people. There are few to no options left before we see the massive drilling equipment maneuver its way onto the beautiful, peaceful mountain slopes.

The effects of drilling on the Killdeer Mountains have been identified and discussed, but remained in the back of the politicians’ minds as they ruled to permit the mountain drilling.

It is shameful because what rests in the Killdeer Mountains is sacred to both American and Native American histories.

Killdeer Mountains served as battleground in an expedition against the Sioux around 1864. During the winter, a plan was formulated to end the war with the Sioux. Nearly 2,500 men would be led into the field to find Native Americans and engage them in battle. On July 26, 1864, the plan was enacted and, two days later, they arrived near the Native American camp, reportedly which included about 6,000 warriors. Heavy fighting ensued across a stretch of nearly nine miles. Killdeer Mountain ultimately broke the back of the Sioux resistance.

The land also maintains intrinsic spiritual value to Native Americans in the area.

While the nation as a whole mostly benefits from the oil boom, it is true that it is pinching at our pockets with the often staggering price increase of goods and services in the area, it is contributing to record amounts of crime, work-related injuries and deaths, it is creating unprecedented surges in traffic, it is putting pressure on our community infrastructure, and now it is polluting our historical center of beauty that are the Killdeer Mountains.

Will it be worth it and can it be sustained?

Local oil and natural gas exploration isn’t easy, but it may be necessary. It is one major step to help ease us from this country’s outstanding foreign oil dependence. Regardless of where the next drill site is, it always will maintain both its positive and negative aspects.

Contact Bryce Martin at bmartin@countrymedia.net.
http://www.dunncountyextra.com/from-the-newsroom-our-oil-boom-a-catch-22/

Oil Drilling Near Killdeer Mountains

Oil Drilling Near Killdeer Mountains | Video
Jennifer Joas | 1/24/2013 

More and more oil wells keep popping up across the North Dakota landscape. But some landowners say the state should be protecting its most sacred areas, such as the Killdeer Mountains. They expressed their concerns to the Industrial Commission, but there may not be a solution.

It started nearly three months ago, when Hess first presented its case for putting a spacing unit near the Killdeer Mountains and the Killdeer Battlefield. Since then, landowners and alliance groups have expressed concern over drilling in that area.

"What we are asking you is to really look at where you do have powerful influence, and that is on the lands controlled by the state. And especially with this area which is so precious," said Sand.

Landowners say the spacing unit is too close to their homes, wildlife habitat and cultural artifacts. They would prefer if Hess moved it farther away, and drilled a longer distance. But the state says that is just not possible.

"The technology simply does not exist. It has not ever been done. There is no technology to drill four mile long laterals and to keep them in zone and to produce the wells," said Lynn Helms, Department of Mineral Resources Director. 

Helms says he looked into six other alternatives but he feels the one being proposed has the least impact to wildlife and people. He says if the state decides to do nothing, more than three million barrels of oil will be wasted, which equals about $250 million. But landowners say leaving the oil untouched for the time being is not wasting it.

"The oil is not going anywhere. I do not know why we have to rush to put wells down and extract. Why can we not wait 40, 50 years for the technology to improve?" said Dakota Goodhouse.

"What is the rush? The rush means quick decisions, unplanned decisions and unplanned impacts," said Theodora Birdbear.

"Do we have a price on the impact on tourism? Do we have a price on the impact on scientific research, and all the species you`ll be impacting? I do not see that ever in a budget anywhere. But I always see the cost of oil," said Anne Marguerite.

Helms also suggested placing stipulations on the case to minimize impacts to the roads, the artifacts and to provide better oversight by the State Historical Society.

The Industrial Commission voted to approve the recommended order, and added another stipulation for Hess to do everything possible to reduce flaring.
http://www.kfyrtv.com/Video_News.asp?news=61663