South Dakota continues to make progress in developing the four lane divided highway between Rapid City to the South Dakota/Nebraska border. Almost 71 miles is already complete.  This is the final 13 miles. The Ports-to-Plains Alliance and the Heartland Expressway Association are excited about seeing this portion of the corridor completed in 2013.

The last portion of the Heartland Expressway four lanes is being built from Oelrichs, SD to the Nebraska state line on Hwy 385. The second two lane northbound lane will be constructed while traffic remains on the existing highway.

Click here for complete article > Rapid City Journal

May 21, 2013

OELRICHS – The S.D. Department of Transportation is advising motorists that crews will begin paving operations on the final phase of the Heartland Expressway Project on Highway 385 in Fall River County on Wednesday, May 22.

Paving operations will begin one-half mile north of Oelrichs on the new northbound two-lane highway and move south for four miles…

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From South Dakota Department of Transportation

Location:

• The dirt work is done and the paving is set to begin this week on final phase of construction on the Heartland Expressway near Oelrichs. Photo courtesy of the South Dakota Department of TransportationStart 1/2 mile north of Oelrichs or Highway Junction 385 & 18 south on hgihway 385 to the South Dakota/Nebraska state line (13.2 miles).

Improvement Type:

• Reconstruction and Final Completion is October 1, 2014

What is being built?

• The last portion of the Heartland Expressway four lanes is being built from Oelrichs, SD to the Nebraska state line on Hwy 385. The second two lane northbound lane will be constructed while traffic remains on the existing highway.

Project Schedule:

• This summer it is anticipated the new Horsehead Creek Bridge, four miles south of Oelrichs, will continue to be constructed.

Other Work To Be Completed in 2013

• Around mid-July after the new northbound two lanes are completed from the intersection of Hwy 385 & 18 to south of Oelrichs four miles or just north of the railroad tracks, traffic will be switched to the new northbound highway. This will allow the contractor to reconstruct the existing Hwy 385 from Oelrichs to the south three miles.
• There will be four box culvert/pipe locations from south of Oelrichs four miles to the Nebraska state line that will have temporary detours while they are being installed throughout the summer.
• The contractor will continue grading with scrapers for the new northbound lane from south of Oelrichs four miles to the Nebraska state line. Then the new concrete two lane highway will be constructed.
• After traffic is switched to the new northbound highway, the contractor will reconstruct the existing highway and then pave it from Oelrichs to three miles south of Oelrichs.
• To complete the project, the existing highway from south of Oelrichs three miles to the Nebraska state line will be overlaid with a new asphalt surface.

The intention is to potentially complete the project during the construction season of 2013 with the weather pending, which would be one year before the project's final completion of October 1, 2014.

Here’s how badly lawmakers fell short: The budget deal announced last week would put $900 million into roadways over the next two years, $500 million of which would go to projects in the oil patch, where trucks are taking a heavy toll. That leaves $400 million in new money — about the cost of two freeway interchanges — to be spread around statewide for non-oilfield projects.

Click here for complete article > Dallas Morning News

May 20, 2013

The 2013 lawmaking session was supposed to be different. Gov. Rick Perry, House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said early and often that paying for transportation needs would be a priority. They all but swore that the days of kicking that can down the road were over.

So what’s that ear-splitting clatter coming from Austin all over again?...

Ports-to-Plains Alliance is a member of Move Colorado and partners to help educate elected officials and the public on the impacts of a continued erosion of transportation revenue.

It’s important to understand that even if the price of gas rises, taxes on gas don’t rise with it. Gas taxes are paid on a per gallon basis. In Colorado we pay $0.404 per gallon, no matter how high the price of gas rises. Colorado ranks in the bottom half when compared to other states. Due to inflation and the rising price of gas, the gas tax is only 6% of the cost of 1 gallon of gas, compared to 20% in 1992.

Click here for complete article > Move Colorado

May 9, 2013

Recently, at the 2013 APWA Colorado Management + Conference, Move Colorado President Jeff Kullman made an in-depth presentation on transportation funding following the implementation of MAP 21.  His presentation immediately followed that of Phil Washington, general manager of RTD.  Fully funding transportation is critical to providing Coloradans with the mobility, freedom and safety to travel throughout the state.  Jeff provided a clear picture of the state of transportation funding to help recommend a path forward for investing in a modern transportation system that Colorado families and businesses can rely on for their everyday needs…

At a time of limited federal budgets, DOI is canceling lease sales and struggling to issue permits in a timely manner. We continue to question why DOI is taking on a whole new regulatory regime when it lacks resources, expertise, and personnel to implement it . If anything, DOI should be delegating more to the states in recognition of their exemplary environmental and safety records, not requiring them to conform to federal standards that are not properly justified, ” concluded Sgamma.

Click here for complete article > Western Energy Alliance

May 16, 2013

In response to the second release of the hydraulic fracturing (fracing) rule from the Department of the Interior (DOI), Western Energy Alliance repeated that the rule is an unnecessary layer of federal regulation. The rule will divert productive resources away from energy development, job creation, and economic growth into redundant federal compliance , further disadvantaging western public lands states.

There is no single solution to our traffic problem, but there is a single result if we do nothing. That result is a deteriorating roadway system that hinders growth and economic development in the state. That result costs all of us something, whether it’s a damaged car or losing your job. Nothing good will come out of it. We have worked too hard to get Texas to the leadership position that it enjoys today. We should do everything possible to stay on top and keep this state the envy of the nation.

Waco Tribune

May 14, 2013

Have you been stuck in traffic lately? The answer is probably yes, even if you live in some rural parts of Texas.

Transportation infrastructure in urban areas of the state continues to struggle to keep up with demands of a growing population. Now, thanks to renewed oil and gas production in South Texas, rural roads are also seeing more traffic, and some are even experiencing traffic jams. It’s going to take more money and a different way of thinking to ensure we can all get around.

To show you how our roads are doing, the American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave Texas a grade on the condition of our infrastructure. That grade was a stunning “D-plus.” The good news is that lawmakers know this is a problem and are willing to put more money into the system, but the state can’t do it all by itself…

Bill Hammond heads the Texas Association of Business, whose mission is “to improve the Texas business climate and to help make our state’s economy the strongest in the world.”

AAA's study is designed to push road safety to the forefront of the national debate over transportation priorities as Congress considers a long-term highway funding bill, says Chris Plaushin, AAA's director of federal relations.

Click here for complete article > USA Today

May 15, 2013

The emotional toll for Americans who lose a friend or loved one in a motor vehicle crash has a steep financial counterpart — an average $6 million per fatal accident, according to auto club AAA…

The Ports-to-Plains Alliance appreciates the efforts of Representative Drew Darby in highlighting the cost of doing nothing to provide long term transportation funding in Texas. It is disappointing that Texas will face continued shortfalls creating future liabilities.

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After a spirited discussion, Darby postponed the bill until May 28 — one day after the session ends and lawmakers go home. He cited pressure from outside forces that made voting for the measure difficult for some legislators.

Click here for Complete Article > Texas Tribune

May 9, 2013

A bill that would have increased vehicle registration fees to raise money for transportation projects met its demise in the Texas House on Thursday.

House Bill 3664, by state Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, was designed to generate money to pay down the state's transportation-related debt and fund improvements on non-tolled roads across Texas…

Source: NDPA Webinar Presentation March 2013

We previously explained gas flaring in North Dakota and the two big challenges that can cause it to occur at such significant levels (see Why Will Bakken Flaring Not Fade Away?). The first is the economics of installing infrastructure to connect wells to gas processing plants as soon after production starts as possible. This has been the principal challenge in the Bakken because of the large distances between wells and processing plants, the rugged terrain where many of these wells are located and the low value of associated gas compared to oil. The second challenge is normally the lack of gas processing plant capacity and mainline gas pipeline infrastructure to transport processed gas to market.

Click here for complete article > Oil & Gas Financial Journal

May 7, 2013

Bakken gas flaring is still close to 30% of production. At the end of April the North Dakota State Assembly passed legislation providing tax incentives for producers to reduce flaring by finding alternative uses for gas that would otherwise be flared. Analysis by the North Dakota Pipeline Authority shows that 45% of flaring occurs from wells that are already connected to gas processing plants. Today we describe efforts to reduce gas flaring in the Bakken…

The State Department did not immediately respond to questions about when it plans to finalize its assessment or move to the next stage of determining, with input from several other agencies, whether the pipeline is in the national interest. That stage is expected to take 90 days. Federal agencies will also have 15 days to comment on the decision before it is finalized.

Click here for complete article > Denver Post

May 10, 2013

The Obama administration is unlikely to make a decision on the Canada-to-Nebraska Keystone XL pipeline until late this year as it painstakingly weighs the project's impact on the environment and on energy security, a U.S. official and analysts said on Friday.

The decision may not be made until November, December or even early 2014, said a U.S. official, as President Barack Obama will not rush the process, which still has a number of stages to work through. One of those stages has not even begun yet and will run for months…

ERCB report indicates largest conventional crude oil production and reserves increase in decades

Energy Resources Conservation Board

May 8, 2013

The latest edition of the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) publication ST-98 Alberta's Energy Reserves 2012 and Supply/Demand Outlook 2013-2022, shows a 14 per cent increase in production and 9.5 per cent increase in reserves over 2011 levels.

In 2012, Alberta’s crude oil production totaled 88.4 thousand cubic metres (m3) (556 thousand barrels) of oil per day with a yearly total of 32.3 million m3 (204 million barrels). This increase is due to the higher production rates of horizontal wells.

In 2012, Alberta produced 305 thousand m3 (1.9 million barrels) per day of raw crude bitumen from the oil sands for a yearly total of 112 million m3 (704 million barrels) or a 10 per cent increase over Alberta’s 2011 crude bitumen production.

The ERCB forecasts Alberta’s annual raw crude bitumen production will total 605.4 thousand m3 (3.8 million barrels) per day for a total of 221 million m3 (1.39 billion barrels) per year in 2022.

The report notes that, since 1967, Alberta has produced about 1.4 billion m3 (8.8 billion barrels) of raw crude bitumen from the oil sands and about 2.7 billion m3 (16.7 billion barrels) of crude oil since 1914...

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Alberta oil production rose more than 10 per cent last year

Announced expansions of existing projects and new projects are expected to boost the production of raw bitumen to 3.8 million barrels per day by 2022. Upgraded bitumen production is expected to increase by 41 per cent to 1.34 million barrels per day over the next decade.

Edmonton Journal

May 8, 2013

Overall production in the oilsands increased significantly in 2012, pushing Alberta’s oil reserves to the highest level since the 1960s.

According to a report released Wednesday by the province’s Energy Resources Conservation Board, 204 million barrels of crude oil were extracted from northern Alberta, for an average of 556,000 barrels per day

That is an increase of 13.8 per cent from 2011, a rise mainly due to the drilling of horizontal wells, many of which use fracturing technology…