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February 23, 2012
Page 3
The impact of oil prices in ND
Tile national news commentators
this morning were all talking about
the sanctions being imposed against
lran and the consequences of Iran
cutting off oil supplies to countries
supporting the sanctions. Of course
what this is going to do to the price
of crude oil is always the main
focus of these discussions. Talk of
$200 per barrel and higher crude oil
prices will greatly impact what's
happening here in western North
Dakota even more so than what we
have experienced so far (if that's
possible). Hang on...it could be a
wild ride.
Keeping in mind tliat as legisla-
tors in these turbulent times we
need to be more visionary, I'm in the
process of having several pieces of
legislation drafted that would tem-
porarily reallocate oil tax dollars to
try. and help address all of the infra-
structure needs in oil country.
The /irsl of these would allocate
100 percent of the county share of
the state's Oil and Gas Gross
Production dollars to oil and gas
producing counties for 2013-t5
biennium. At 'our last interim
Energy and Transmission the needs
of our schools, roads, water sys-
tems, housing, and social services
couldn't have been made more clear.
The bottom line is they need sus-
tainably more money if the pace of
this development is allowed to con-
tinue.
Early estimates indicate that this
Capitol Report
By Shirley Meyer
State Representative,
District 36
legislation would provide approxi-
mately $450 million to be divided
among the local political subdivi-
sions in oil country. As of
December 31, 2011, counties and
cities have been allocated $64.4
million in oil tax dollars for the cur-
rent biennium. A share of the 5%
Gross Production Tax dollars is cur-
rently allocated to oil and gas pro-
ducing counties; however, the per-
centage that counties are allocated
for their local political subdivisions
decreases as revenue totals increase.
Just a quick break down of how
this works: The first two million in
revenue goes directly to the county.
Counties then receive 75% Of col-
lections between $2 million and $3
million, with the remaining 25%
going to the state. This is further
reduced to 50% when collections
are between $3 million and $4 mil-
lion. Counties only receive 25%
fi'om collections between $4 million
and $18 million. After a county hits
the $18 million mark. that percent-
age is reduced to t0%, with 90%
going to the state's General Fund or
to the Legacy Fund. We already
have five counties that have hit the
$18 million mark, and are now only
receiving 10% of the total revenue
generated.
As one county commissioner put
it, "How in the world can you
expect us to maintain our infrastruc-
ture on $1.8 million dollars'? That
fixes approximately two miles of
road,"
The second piece of legislation
deals with the Impact Fund. The
Impact Fund has always been
designed to help with the impacts
that come along with coal, oil, and
gas developments. While this t'und
has grown substantially (from $8
million per biennium to $135 mil-
lion) the grant requests for this fund
far exceed the available dollars.
Secondary impacts such as social
service costs, lack of available
housing, and school impacts are not
allowed to be considered for any
impact funding. Counties and cities
adjoining major oil producing coun-
ties oftentimes have major impacts,
but: with lower oil production very
Tittle revenue to oft,set them.
Dickinson and the smaller cities
in Stark and Hettinger Counties are
good examples of this. The need for
more police protection, water,
sewer, EMT services, etc. is a grow-
ing need for these entities. A portion
of the Impact Fund needs to be set
aside to deal with these secondary'
impacts and allows the small towns
in our comnmnity to apply and
receive grants to help them deal
with extraordinary expenses and
demands on their infrastructure.
[)ollars for Scholars opens applications
North Dakota Dollars for
Scholars (NDDFS) is accepting
scholarship applications from North
Dakota high school seniors and col-
lege students. Scholarships ranging
from $500 to $15,000 will be award-
ed for the 2012-2013 academic year.
Applicants nmst be graduating
from. or cmTently live in, a North
Dakota community with an active
Dolhn's for Scholars chapter to
qualify-. Students t?om a wide range
of backgrounds are encouraged to
submit applications. The scholar-
ship offerings cover a variety of cat-
egories: need-based, vocation-
al/technical schools, military fami-
ly, health care, leadership, comnm-
i
nity service, and emergency med-
ical response.
The application deadline for all
scholarships is April 1. Scholarship
details and applications are avail-
able at www.nddfs.org.
NDDFS is a statewide non-profit
administered by Bank of North
Dakota and a board of directors.
The organization provides academ-
ic support and financial aid to North
Dakota students. Local chapters in
84 locations throughout the state
also raise funds to provide scholar-
ships to students from their own
community. Since its inception in
1962, Dollars for Scholars chapters
in North Dakota have raised $23
million which has been distributed
to over 19,000 students. It is the
largest, volunteer operated, commu-
nity-based foundation in the coun-
try.
Dollars for Scholars depends on
donations from businesses, founda-
tions, and individuals to make schol-
arships possible for deserving stu-
dents. Entities giving greater than
$2,500 toward the 2012 scholarships
include Edson and Margaret Larson
Foundation, Scheels Corporationi
Coteau Properties Company, Cass
County Electric Cooperative,
Sanford Medical Center, State Bank
& Trust. Fatkirk Mining Company,
and T.E. Kenville.
Mail pet,itron00 stgna¢ur (ip
ese se 4,;,000
North Dakota newspapers
obtained the signatures of more
than 4,000 state residents pleading
lbr timely mail delivery - in a cam-
paign that lasted two weeks or less
in January.
Petition forms were sent to the
90 newspapers in the state and 54
of the newspapers secured signa-
tures.
"Deliver the Mail: North
Dakotans for Timely Mail
Delivery," indicated strong feelings
of North,Dakotans about the U.S.
Postal Service, contends Roger
Bailey, executive director of the
North Dakota Newspaper
Association.
"We set a target of 100 signa-
tures from each newspaper but in
realty had hoped to get as many as
2,500 people to sign," Bailey said.
"Getting more than 4,000 signa-
tures in such a short time was a
bonus."
Copies of the petitions have
been sent to Postmaster General
Patrick Donahoe: to Ruth Goldway,
chairman of the Postal Rate
Commission; and to U.S. Senators
Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and
Rep. Rick Berg. The final tally:
4,061 signatures.
(;Iobal leaders
WASHINGTON - World
Farmers Organization President
and National Farmers Union Vice
President For International Affairs
Robert Carlson attended the World
Economic Forum in Davos.
Switzerland recently.
The forum meets annually to
develop strategy to improve the
state of the world. The gathering is
a high-level assembly of business
and government leaders from
around the world, and is privately
financed.
"The world's leaders are deeply
worried about our ability as farm-
ers to feed a growing world popu-
met to discuss f,
lation and they want to hear farm-
ors' voices to find solutions," said
Carlson. "'The good news is that
agriculture has never received such
prominent attention since the end
of World War II, but there are some
real challenges for us. too. Water
supplies for irrigation are being
drawn down taster than they are
being recharged and the demands
for using fertilizer and pesticides
more efficiently and sparingly are
real. On top of that, we face the
uncertain effects of climate
change. We know it is happening,
but we don't really know how it
will affect our individual farm pro-
;00,:ling the world
duction. The bottom line is that we
are being asked to produce more
with less."
North Dakota Farmers Union
president Woody Barth added, "It
is critical that family farmers and
ranchers are heard around the
world. We will continue to stand up
for agriculture not only in North
Dakota but for our fellow produc-
ers across international lines."
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Beach FFA Chapter receives donation
Kevin Martian gives a donation of $250 to Beach FFA members. The FFA is planning to use
the money for expenses incurred during the upcoming livestock judging trips. From left, are
Kevin Martian, Ray Wegner, Curtis Summers, Sofia Muruato, Makensie Mattern, Dawson
Bishop and Terry Week. (Courtesy Photo)
Why was 2011 such a deadly tornado year?
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. which are the type of storms that Some strong tornadoes also
AccuWeather.com reports last spawn tornadoes, touched down far outside of
year, 2011, went down in the People typically think of "Tornado Alley," where peopleare
record books as the fourth dead- "Tornado Alley" as the corridor less prepared for violent severe
liest tornado year ever in the from Texas to Kansas that is Ire- weather.
United States with 550 fatalities, quently hit by tornadoes in the Springfield. Mass., was hit by
The year 1925 was the dead- spring. Warm, humid air from the an rare EF-3 tornado on June 1,
liest year in the U.S., with 794 Gulf of Mexico clashes with drier 2011. "This was the first major
killed, according to National air from the Rockies. During tornado to hit Massachusetts since
Oceanic and Atmospheric 2011, many tornadoes touched 1953," Smith said.
Administration (NOAA). That down east of the typical "Tornado Inadequate Shelters Led to
year is infamous for the Tri-State Alley," which is often the case in More Deaths in 2011
tornado, the longest-tracking, La Nifia years. More densely pop- Another factor in how deadly
deadliest tornado on record. The ulated areas sit in the path of tornadoes were in 2011 was inad-
tornado's path went through por- severe storms capable of spawn- equate
tions of Missouri, Illinois and ing tornadoes, shelters both in solid structure
Indiana, over 219 miles long. The Tornadoes Hit Many Cities, homes and mobile home parks.
twister killed 695 people along its Communities Outside of "Tornado The safest place to take shelter
path. Alley" during a tornado is in the lowest
There were 552 deaths in 1936 "Last year was an exceptional- interior room of a house or build-
and 55t deaths in 1917, ranking as ly deadly year because city after ing, preferably in a basement, but
the second and third most deaths city got hit. Some of them were thereare areas in the country
caused by tornadoes in a year. far outside of'Tornado Alley.' My where people do not have base-
According to the Storm Prediction friend. Jenna Blum, coined the ments.
Center (SPC),tfie yearly average term 'Metronado,' which is what Many people that live in
Ibr tornado deaths is around 60. we had last year," Mike Smith, "Tornado Alley" and other areas
2011 had an unusually high senior vice president of of the country frequently hit by
number of large, destructive tor- AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions tornadoes do not have basements,
nado outbreaks; 1,709 tornadoes said. while other communities far out-
touched down, a Close second to Minneapolis, Minn.. side of "Tornado Alley" do have
the record 1,817 tornadoes set in Springfield, Mass., Raleigh, N.C., basements.
2004. In comparison, the average St. Louis, Mo., Birmingham. Ala., "Places like Massachusetts
number of tornadoes per year over Jackson, Miss., Oklahoma City, have basements -- well outside of
the past decade is around 1,300. Okla., New York City, N.Y., and 'Tornado Alley.' Oklahoma,
Why So Many Tornadoes in Philadelphia, Pa., are among the almost no one has a basement. Its
2011? cities where tornadoes touched local building customs, soil condi-
A key ingredient for the violent down in 2011. tions, etc., that dictate whether
severe weather in 2011 was a very Two of the most deadly torna- people have basements. In Joplin.
strong jet stream. La Nifia, a phe- does touched down in Joplin, Mo., ahnost no one had a basement, but
nomenon where the sea surface on May 22, 2011 and Tuscaloosa, in St. Louis, same state, ahnost
temperature in the central ant Ala.. on April 27, 2011. everyone did," Smith said.
eastern Pacific around the equator "No matter how good the warn- Many mobile homes were dev-
are below normal, helped to cause ings are, if you take a densely astated by tornadoes in 2011.
the strong northern jet stream, populated area and put a F-4 or F- leaving many to debate whether
which frequently plunged into the 5 tornado in there, tragically, peo- mobile home parks should be
South. This set the stage for pow- ple are going to lose their lives," required to have community shel-
erful supercell thunderstorms, Smith added, ters.
Contraband
NOTICE
Demographic Plan Meeting of the
Belfield Public School
Notice is hereby given that a public meeting of the
Board of Education, Belfield Public School District #13,
Belfield, North Dakota, will be held on Thursday, March
8, 2012 at 6:00 P.M. in the high school gymnasium. The
purpose of the meeting is to invite the public to partici-
pate in a planning process addressing the effects that
demographics might have on the district in the ensuing
three-year and five-year periods.
By order of the Board of Education
Belfield Public School District #13
Belfield, North Dakota 58622
Alice Berger, Business Manager
t
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