oppose drilling in Killdeer Mountains

Published October 23, 2012, 12:00 AM

Proposed wells draw controversy: Rancher, tribal member oppose drilling in Killdeer Mountains

Home to one historic battlefield site already, the Killdeer Mountains are the subject of a new North Dakota fight. This time, however, the battle is not between the U.S. Army and tribes of Native Americans, but rather between the oil industry and the people who live near and use the mountains, which begin about eight miles northwest of Killdeer.

By: Bryan Horwath, The Dickinson Press

Home to one historic battlefield site already, the Killdeer Mountains are the subject of a new North Dakota fight.
This time, however, the battle is not between the U.S. Army and tribes of Native Americans, but rather between the oil industry and the people who live near and use the mountains, which begin about eight miles northwest of Killdeer.
Much to the chagrin of some Dunn County residents and native tribes that use the land for ceremonial purposes, the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Oil and Gas Division, an arm of the Industrial Commission, will host a hearing Wednesday in Bismarck regarding the addition of a number of new oil drilling sites in the county and around the state, several of which would be in the immediate area of the mountains.
“It’s a travesty,” said Loren Jepson, a rancher who lives about 15 miles northwest of Killdeer. “People should be concerned about this. If you care about hunting, searching for native artifacts or birdwatching in the Killdeer Mountains, that’s all in jeopardy.”
Though drilling is not allowed in certain areas in and around the mountains, Jepson said the addition of four — and possibly more — hydraulic fracturing sites in the area could exacerbate issues residents are already facing because of drilling north of Killdeer along ND Highway 22, such as heavy truck traffic, dust and noise.
“It’s a quality of life issue,” Jepson said. “We know that there has been and will continue to be drilling here, I just wish the oil companies would have more respect for the people who have lived here their whole lives. I wish the oil companies would just work with people.”
The proposed new wells — which are just a few of dozens that will come before ND Oil and Gas this week — would be in close proximity to the Killdeer Mountain Battlefield State Historic Site and certain areas that some Native American tribes consider to be sacred, such as Medicine Hole, a cave-like site in the mountains that has been part of Native American lore for decades.
A member of the Three Affiliated Tribes and an instructor of Native American studies at Fort Berthold Community College in New Town, Delvin Driver Sr., said the Killdeer Mountains — especially Medicine Hole — have a lot of spiritual significance for his people.
“This is an area where people from different tribes, from all over, come to fast and make contact with different spirits,” Driver said. “This is sacred land. The native people are spiritual people and the land is who we are. If there is a lot of interference for the people who go in those mountains, it’s not going to be a good spiritual experience for them.”
Driver added he understands that drilling is a fact of life in North Dakota.
“The oil industry is here and it will continue to be here,” Driver said. “But they don’t really see our views — they see money. They’ll step on anybody’s foot to get more.”
The historic battlefield site in the Killdeer Mountains commemorates an 1864 skirmish between the Army and a gathering of Yanktonai, Dakota and Teton Indians. As legend has it, Medicine Hole is a narrow passageway leading off the mountaintop through its base used by natives to escape U.S. soldiers during the conflict more than a century ago.
Jepson said he has retained the Dickinson law firm Mackoff Kellogg to fight the location of the proposed wells and will be in attendance at the hearing on Wednesday.
“I don’t know what to expect,” Jepson said. “I know a lot of others in the community feel the same way I do, but it seems that nobody will do anything about it. I’m trying to do something about it.”
Hess Corp. is listed as the proprietor of the wells on ND Oil and Gas documents. Representatives from Hess could not be reached for comment Monday.

Tags: killdeer mountains, native americans, new town, oil, news, dickinson, local, killdeer, energy, ranch, mountain, fight, battlefield, history, historic

Wast Water Near Housing Development

I realize I have not been doing many personal posts over the last few weeks, I guess my life has become fairly unexciting but the fracking news just keeps coming ...

ND approves frack water disposal well near Killdeer

The North Dakota Industrial Commission on Monday approved the creation of a saltwater disposal well outside of Killdeer that some think is too close to a future subdivision.

By: By Bryan Horwath, The Dickinson Press

1. The North Dakota Industrial Commission on Monday approved the creation of a saltwater disposal well outside of Killdeer that some think is too close to a future subdivision.

During a meeting in Bismarck, the IC ruled that Waterworks Killdeer LLC would be allowed to dispose of saltwater and other fluids used in the hydraulic fracturing process in an area where lots are for sale.

In a compromise of sorts, Waterworks Killdeer agreed to position its new injection well further away from the planned 20-lot subdivision, but not the 2,500 feet further away engineer and contracting owner Cory Ravnaas had requested for the site, which is about nine miles west of Killdeer.

In a letter sent to the IC in August, Ravnaas argued it would be “inappropriate to site a commercial saltwater disposal well immediately adjacent to a platted residential neighborhood,” according to the IC.

In a separate letter to the IC, Dahl Homestead Development owners Tim and Fayleen Fischer also requested the disposal well be moved away from the subdivision site, citing concerns about added truck traffic, noise and dust.

“We don’t have an issue with the well itself,” Fayleen Fischer said Tuesday. “We would just prefer it wasn’t so close to the site.”

Ravnaas went a step further in his letter, saying he thought it would be “disastrous to the success of the new rural residential community.”

Testifying on behalf of Waterworks Killdeer at an earlier hearing before the IC, Brent Lansberg stated the company was willing to move the surface facilities of the operation away from the subdivision site, though he said they would not move the requested 2,500 feet.

In its finding, the IC did not list a specific distance for surface operations to be moved. At the hearing, Lansberg had noted Waterworks Killdeer still needed to obtain an approach permit from the North Dakota Department of Transportation for access to the site and added the company would attempt to receive permission to gain access directly from Highway 200 to limit truck traffic.

Also in the finding, the IC noted that “the proposed injection well will be constructed in such a manner as to prevent the movement of fluids into or between underground sources of drinking water,” something the IC doesn’t take lightly, said Department of Mineral Resources Public Information Officer Alison Ritter.

“The construction of injection wells is something that is taken very seriously,” Ritter said. “All wells are tested monthly to make sure they are in full working order.”

Another subdivision, owned by a different company, is planned for an 80-acre site east of Killdeer. Work is expected to begin on that site later this year.

Ravnaas declined to comment to The Dickinson Press about the decision by the IC.

Tags: industrial commission, oil, killdeer, well, frack, fracking, oil, energy, local, news, ic, regulation, minerals