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JOB FEVER IS HERE: The Bakken's job market has a fever, and it's red hot. There are 1,200 job listings with Williston's Job Services ND office. That's 1,000 more listings than active resumes posted with the service, which is free for both employers and job seekers to use. Officials have told me in the past that Job Services listings represent about 40 percent of actual listings, but it's still a great indicator of the opportunity that's out there both for people who want to trade up and unemployed job seekers.
Williston Job Service's office manager Paula Hickel told me the oilfield does represent about 40 percent of the job openings listed by employers for the upcoming spring job fair. The others range from health care and education to agriculture, hospitality and government. The top job openings are still for commercial CDL and diesel mechanics, but there's an incredible diversity out there for a range of jobs, from part to full-time. Many companies have been raising salaries to attract workforce, or bringing back perks like housing incentives.
The annual Spring Job Fair is set for 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 24 in the Well at WSC. If you need help brushing up your resume or making copies ahead of time, that's one of the many free services Williston Job Services ND offers job seekers, and they'll be open this week from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday or until noon Thursday.
BAKKEN CONNECTION: The Bakken could supply up to 100,000 barrels of oil to help domestic refineries replace Russian oil on the East and West coasts of the United States, according to two of the state's top oil and gas regulators. East and West Coast markets use grades of crude that are typically lighter than what the Gulf Coast uses, North Dakota Pipeline Authority Justin Kringstad told the Williston Herald Energy Chaser. Director of North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Lynn Helms, meanwhile, said he believed industry could have those additional barrels by year-end, if the Biden administration would prioritize American oil production. North Dakota oil production dropped 5 percent in the month of January to 1.086 million barrels per day, amid weather problems, ESG pressures, and labor issues.
MARGINAL WELLS EMERGE: High prices might not be prompting more drilling rigs toappear in the Bakken, but it has prompted the return of several marginal wells in Central and North Central Montana. Montana Petroleum Association President Alan Olson told the Energy Chaser that labor issues are hampering that effort. The trend for North Dakota marginal wells is less clear. Oil and Gas Division spokeswoman Katie Haaarsager told the Energy Chaser that the state does see increased workover rig activity which could be associated with returning marginal wells to production. But the state isn't tracking such wells and doesn't require any particular reports from them that would help pinpoint that emerging trend.
MORE THINGS TO KNOW: Crude oil prices were in sell-off mode the first three days of the week, amid hopes of a ceasefire for Ukraine and news of a COVID-19 lockdown in Shenzhen, China, which has a population exceeding 17 million. By Thursday, though, prices were shooting past $100 again, as hopes for peace between Russia and Ukraine faded, and the International Energy Agency predicted a 3 million barrel per day shortfall in crude oil supplies. Meanwhile, MonDak lawmakers banded together to float bans on Venezuela and Iranian oil, and said the Biden administration should prioritize American oil. A railway strike in Canada is brewing that could further tighten domestic supply of crude oil. We've that and more in this week's Energy Quick Takes.
WAIT THAT'S NOT ALL : Keep scrolling down for an excellent editorial from Basin Safety Consulting's Jon Greiner. This week's rundown of energy matters is 100 percent free, including all linked articles, thanks to Basin Safety Consulting. You can help keep oil and gas news free in the Bakken by recruiting a friend to sign up for this free newsletter today!
 As always, reach out if you've got more story ideas for me or you have feedback for me on this newsletter. I can be reached at rjean@willistonherald.com. I love hearing from you!
Have a job listing for the Energy Chaser? Contact Connie at crueb@willistonherald.com or Maxine at maxine@willistonherald.com.
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The Safety Stinks (not really) seriesWhy ESG stinks, and how to leverage it
by Jonathon Greiner • Basin Safety Consulting
I sat down with an experienced Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) fixture in the North Dakota business world recently, Jason Spiess of The Crude Life and ESG University. He provided me with a breadth of knowledge about how ESG came to be and its impact on the American marketplace.
A couple of things he clarified for me. 1) ESG in certain sectors is a regulated benchmark, however it has not taken root comprehensively. Also, the SEC has launched a task force focused on fighting climate change using ESG as their auditing tool. 2) Financial institutions will use this even at the small business level to determine who they finance and at what level. In some cases financing businesses that work with oil & gas companies are at a disadvantage due to ESG non-reporting, or low ESG scores. In his words, “If you’re talking about ESG in the boardroom now, you’re about three years behind.”
Read the rest of this excellent editorial online here.
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Williston Herald PO Box 1447, Williston, ND 58802-1447
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