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N. Dakota needs $800 million for housing, schools in wake of oil boom, state GOP says
Fuel Fix ^ | September 18, 2014 | Associated Press

Posted on 09/19/2014 5:39:15 AM PDT by thackney

North Dakota Republicans on Wednesday unveiled an $800 million one-time spending plan to address immediate problems tied to the oil boom in the western part of the state....

The proposal includes $475 million to oil-producing counties and cities; $140 million to oil patch hub cities of Williston, Dickinson and Minot; $35 million to county schools affected by oil development; and $150 million for road projects outside of the oil patch....

Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, said infrastructure needs and a shortage of workers are the biggest challenges facing North Dakota’s energy sector. The state has more than 25,000 unfilled jobs and the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, at less than 3 percent....

(Excerpt) Read more at fuelfix.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: North Dakota
KEYWORDS: bakken; energy; oil; tax
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To: dynoman

Many a town in west Texas was created due to the oil booms and field housing built by the oil companies them selves. there allot of old geezers who were raised in oil camps.


21 posted on 09/19/2014 6:50:51 AM PDT by Dusty Road (")
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To: Arthur McGowan

So how do you propose they be educated?


22 posted on 09/19/2014 7:10:00 AM PDT by bigdaddy45
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To: bigdaddy45

There is sooooooooooo much oil in No. Dakota that the oil companies could themselves fund the housing and school needs. U.S. tax payers should not be expected to pay for their “wants” and needs.


23 posted on 09/19/2014 7:16:48 AM PDT by DaveA37
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To: mythenjoseph

ND has a rainy day type fund off a revenue of oil but can’t touch it until 2017..


24 posted on 09/19/2014 7:29:32 AM PDT by scbison
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To: DaveA37
There is sooooooooooo much oil in No. Dakota that the oil companies could themselves fund the housing and school needs. U.S. tax payers should not be expected to pay for their “wants” and needs.

There is quite a mix of tiny to small to midsize business in the ND oil industry, plus a multitude of small business selling support from stuff as basic as selling steel, grading and gravel, etc.

I don't think we really want oil company run schools. The companies need to pay a wage high enough to find the people they need. The taxes collected have been going up, both from direct oil severance tax, as well as the taxes paid by the additional people. The state needs to continue to use those funds for the infrastructure of the state.

Granted, it is difficult in a fast boom situation. The people coming in tend to expect some difficult conditions, such as living in a temporary man-camp, school classes in temporary trailers, overpriced propane, etc. It is the reason they get a high-wage to show up.

25 posted on 09/19/2014 7:32:12 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: bigdaddy45

Are you joking? Are you actually saying that children cannot be, and never were, educated before socialist schools?


26 posted on 09/19/2014 8:25:38 AM PDT by Arthur McGowan
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To: bigdaddy45

Just about the only good news I’ve heard in the last year or two is this: In North Carolina, there are now more children being homeschooled than are in government fornication-instruction centers.


27 posted on 09/19/2014 8:27:05 AM PDT by Arthur McGowan
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To: thackney

I don’t think we really want oil company run schools.”..

I never suggested that the oil companies should run the schools. With the amount of earnings, they can pay for them without any ties to running them. The government makes the tax payers do that all the time.


28 posted on 09/19/2014 8:35:33 AM PDT by DaveA37
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To: DaveA37
The government makes the tax payers do that all the time.

They are here as well. The oil companies, andd all the associated additional business, are paying taxes.

29 posted on 09/19/2014 8:46:53 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: Lion Den Dan

That is what I have heard also.

There is a game being played, and it has little to do with the housing issues.


30 posted on 09/19/2014 8:56:45 AM PDT by redgolum ("God is dead" -- Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" -- God.)
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To: YankeeReb; Grampa Dave; Carry_Okie; Ernest_at_the_Beach; NormsRevenge; Phil V.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking this."

No you're not! Not only are you correct in your thinking, there's something else clearly in play here… GANG-GREEN hates "housing" of any kind, either public or private as much or more than they hate oil patch development and it's economic progress that call for real estate "improvements" such as housing, schools, urban sprawl.

They only tolerate "infill development," "mass transit," "bike trails" and "putting Americans back on their feet!"

31 posted on 09/19/2014 9:25:21 AM PDT by SierraWasp (Obama is mad! He's getting madder with each crisis and now he's a real MADMAN with no temper left!!!)
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To: thackney

ND wants public housing??


32 posted on 09/19/2014 9:26:08 AM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: dynoman
I’m not sure it is directly for housing. The big problem seems to be what’s called “infrastructure” - water and sewer, roads and city streets, that kind of thing.

Which used to be paid for by special assessments levied against the builders, who would in turn pass those expenses on to renters, commercial clients, or individuals, rolled into the purchase price for the property.

When the only reason aside from being disabled to not have a job is that you don't want one, why fund the welfare state at all?

But the focus will likely be on 'low income' housing, subsidized at least in part--which will keep rents high for everyone else. Rent for a relatively plain-jane two bedroom apartment was running $3000/month, and even at $20/hour, it takes two wage-earners to make the bills.

Prices were beginning to come down as construction caught up with demand somewhat.

What I have noticed, is that a lot of oil impact funding does not go to oil producing counties, as was the case with federal funding for airport upgrades, some of which went to Grand Forks, Jamestown, and Devil's Lake, all well outside the oil producing region (Grand Forks is across the state from the oilfields, just across the river from Minnesota).

My concern is that this money won't end up where it is needed, in the counties producing oil. Williston, Minot, and Dickinson, are in those areas, and are involved in the Bakken in the order presented, with Williston in the center of things (as is Watford City), more so than Minot and Dickinson, which are closer to the edges of development, though there certainly has been impact in those towns as well.

I would rather see the elimination of the property tax than direct subsidies, but will have to see how this gets allocated.

33 posted on 09/19/2014 9:45:04 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: thackney
It doesn't take even one winter to learn to skirt an RV or trailer, insulate, heat-tape hoses and pipes and prevent all those problems.

If you are down to using a trash can for a toilet, you're not doing it right.

34 posted on 09/19/2014 9:48:54 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: Smokin' Joe

I saw an article recently about a ND trailer park building small buildings large enough to park the RV inside to gain some shelter and usable space. I suspect they get to charge a decent premium for that.


35 posted on 09/19/2014 9:52:55 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: dynoman
The map showed a pad with something like 6 wells total, some in the Bakken layer and the rest in the Three Forks layer. The point of this is the drilling locations seem to be methodically planned, and like once an area is covered there will be no need to go back and drill again

There will be infill wells in the future, and in many places, there will be another round of Three Forks drilling in a deeper part of the formation. The planning you see revolves around access road construction and infrastructure for getting the oil and gas to processing facilities. Your parallel lines of well pads should be roughly two or four miles apart, from north to south, as the normal lease size is two sections (1280 acres), or two square miles.

I do agree, however, that temporary housing for temporary workers makes sense. Overbuilding will cause property values to drop significantly in the future, and that becomes a disincentive toward buying a home versus renting.

36 posted on 09/19/2014 9:54:50 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: mythenjoseph
Is it safe to assume that 800 million has been collected by the state in taxes since the boom began?

Multiples of that, actually.

37 posted on 09/19/2014 9:56:27 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: thackney

They are charging a premium for just about anything, so it falls to reason that would go high, too. My concern would be over carbon monoxide leaks and heating in that instance. Most RVs have propane heat.


38 posted on 09/19/2014 10:02:11 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: Smokin' Joe
I do agree, however, that temporary housing for temporary workers makes sense.

Do you mean only privately run, like below, or something publicly funded?

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

39 posted on 09/19/2014 10:02:47 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: Safetgiver
... the customers DEMANDED I take what they offered.


40 posted on 09/19/2014 10:08:02 AM PDT by uglybiker (nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-BATMAN!)
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