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SHARK TANK AND NORTH DAKOTA: There has been a flurry lately of cryptocurrency mining announcements. The latest brought Kevin O'Leary of Shark Tank fame to North Dakota to talk about a $3 billion facility for the state. There aren't a whole lot of details yet, such as the location of this facility, but we'll keep you apprised as the story develops.
Earlier this year, Gov. Doug Burgum was in Williston to announce a $1.9 billion facility from Atlas, and this afternoon I talked with a different cyrptocurrency group that is expanding their operation. That's going to include some cloud computing and digital AI, rather than just straight bitcoin mining.
I asked the CEO if North Dakota is going to become like a mini Silicon Valley. He didn't laugh. In fact, his company has an office in Silicon Valley, and some of the North Dakota workers are being recruited from there and brought to the Bakken. He also told me North Dakota has a lot of things going for it to attract this new Silicon Valley of the West. We'll have more on that story next week.
BLIZZARD 2.0: The last blizzard gave daily production a 25 percent wallop, according to North Dakota Director of Mineral Resources Lynn Helms. Yet another blizzard is on the way this weekend, so I expect that will mean an extended drop in production for the month of April, as the Oil Patch digs out of several more inches of snow. I talked with a couple of folks about blizzards and the Bakken. Remote work and technological advances are helping the oilfield cope better, although the impact is obviously still very substantial.
NEW DAY NEW PIPELINE: Bridger Pipeline has proposed a 147-mile pipeline that will carry just over 100,000 barrels of Bakken crude per day to a spot just a few miles outside of Baker, Montana. Baker is where TC Energy had proposed an on ramp for 100,000 barrels per day of Bakken crude on the now abandoned Keystone XL. There's going to be a hearing for Bridger's proposed pipeine at 9 a.m. May 5 at Teddy's Residential Suites.
MORE THINGS TO KNOW: We've got the results of the API chili cookoff, and hats off to all the winners! Nationwide Permit 12 is in the spotlight again. Sen. Daines is among the first two American officials to visit war-ravaged Ukraine, where he talked about the war and about getting Europe more American oil and gas. The BLM has announced an oil and gas lease sale for Montana and the Dakotas. Find that and more in our 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!
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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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