Here are the Special Guest, Industry Experts and Community Leaders in the episode of This Week In Energy for January 31, 2025:
Burleigh County Commissioner and former Mayor of Bismarck, ND, Steve Bakken gives an update from the legislative session, including the Dark Sky Bill and the Local Blackmail Bill.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 4004, which would designate April 21-28 as Dark Sky Week, encourages residents to participate by limiting or turning off nonessential lighting.
The resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, Sen. Dean Rummel, R-Dickinson, Rep. Austin Foss, D-Fargo, Rep. Karla Hanson, D-Fargo, and Rep. Eric Murphy, R-Grand Forks, aims to protect a critical and disappearing natural resource: darkness.
Most Americans – including the majority of North Dakotans – live under light-polluted skies. Affecting more than just the visibility of the night sky, it can alter the behavior of certain plants and nocturnal animals.
A discussion was had about politicians using the legislative process to introduce bills they know will be vetoed fast, but some politicians are appeasing donors and political interests by abusing their public power.
“I have no idea why all these politicians and public private partnerships use the legislative process for political posturing, it’s very wasteful to time and resources” Bakken said. “What are they doing when the session isn’t happening? Why aren’t they educating the public when the legislature isn’t in session.”
The interview also discussed the “Local Blackmailing Bill”, as many local citizens are calling it. Senate Bill 2208 is a simple and straightforward bill.
It states that if a city, county or township: “adopts an ordinance or policy that interferes or conflicts with an energy infrastructure project permitted or approved by a state agency, the city is not eligible to receive any grants from the fund beginning on the later of the date on which the city adopted the ordinance or policy, or the date on which the state agency permits or approves the project.”
“This bill has so many unintended consequences,” Bakken said. “Everyone knows this bill exists because of Summit Carbon Solutions. They’ve created so many toxic relations with local citizens they have had to buy off a number of politicians, appointed leaders and nonprofit groups.”
The breakdown of the “Local Blackmail Bill” continued.
“It is trying to blackmail cities, counties, and townships to with the threat of withholding state funding from the “municipal infrastructure fund and the county and township infrastructure fund” if they dare to oppose projects that the state of North Dakota wants to see happen,” Bakken said. “The two things that local government have been opposing at the behest of their voting citizens are wind farms, the Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 pipeline, and other “green” projects.”
Canada’s Greatest Export Terry Etam, author of The End of Fossil Fuel Insanity: Clearing the Air Before Cleaning the Air, columnist for the BOE Report and writer for Public Energy Number One, gives an update on the oil and gas activity north of the border.
Canada’s oil production, particularly from Alberta’s oil sands, plays a crucial role in both domestic and global markets. As of recent data, Canada’s crude oil exports are increasingly important to U.S. refineries, making up a significant portion of U.S. crude imports.
However, Canada’s oil and gas production faces shifts due to technological advancements, market dynamics, and evolving policies that aim to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Canada is engaged in carbon management and emission reduction initiatives as part of its climate goals. The country has been investing in cleaner technologies and exploring carbon capture and storage methods.
While these efforts are aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of its oil and gas industry, challenges remain in balancing economic growth and sustainability.
Canada is rapidly expanding its role in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, which are home to leading research hubs.
The growth of AI-driven industries has also fueled the rise of data centers, which support the technology’s needs. These centers demand large amounts of energy, often sourced from both renewable and non-renewable sources.
Yogashri Pradhan, MBA, P.E., joins This Week In Energy, sponsored by The Crude Life, to share her journey of becoming a production engineer and working in the Permian Basin in West Texas.
“At a very young age, my mom knew that I was good at math and science and she encouraged me to pursue a lot of those math and science initiatives such as math competition, science, science Olympiad, science fairs and that progressed to STEM interests,” Pradhan said. “But the initiatives didn't stop there. I was in an all-girls engineering camp that was hosted by the University of Houston when I was 14 years old.”
The oil and gas industry has integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) through various educational initiatives and strategic partnerships. Industry leaders have provided funding, resources, and support for STEM education to foster the next generation of professionals.
Many companies have began sponsoring research programs that allow students and young researchers to develop innovative solutions and enhance their skills in STEM fields .
Ashley Smith talks about Truckers Against Trafficking and the work they are doing in the energy industry to combat human trafficking.
Ashley gives an overview of what Truckers Against Trafficking is and why she is at the oil and gas conference.
The three also dive into the issue of trafficking. From border security to the domestic issues, no question or vein is off limits when discussing this important issue.
Ashley gives signs to look for, stats to understand and who to call for help.
Prevention and education are reoccurring themes throughout the interview. For example, when discussing “Johns”, Ashley points out the traditional pop culture version is rarely the reality. Most likely it is a woman or an ex-military person running the show. Female “Johns” can be called “Joans” or “Jos”.
Furthermore, the discussion goes deeper into the issue of white collar targets at sporting events, trade shows and professional networking events.
The idea of the “lot lizard” and “business escorts” are compared and contrasted.
The three transition into “trucker’s wisdom” and how a trucking trade show differs from oil and gas. And surprisingly, according to Ashley, the Trucker’s Trade Show are often bigger than the oil shows which have a 150-foot tall well pad out in the parking lot and semi’s on display.
Executive Coach Joe Sinnott, Witting Partners, and the host of The Energy Detox Podcast talks about coaches and mentors to honor National Mentoring Month.
"Strive for mediocrity" probably isn't the advice you want your company's mentors giving to new hires.
But without a proper understanding of mentorship, your mentors may—wittingly or unwittingly—be setting future talent up for years of apathy and mediocrity.
So, take a moment during the final few days of National Mentoring Month to check out this mentor-inspired episode of The Energy Detox, which covers:
1 - The key distinctions between mentoring, advising, and coaching;
2 - Why consciously choosing to wear your mentor, advisor, or coach hat matters; and
3 - How quantifying the value of "squishy" things like mentorship and in-person work can create measurable advantages for you and your organization.
Singer Songwriter featured this week:
Alma Lynn Cook is an American singer-songwriter and spoken word artist professionally known as Alma Cook. Her debut album Pass It On was released in 2012, and her single “For a Poet” and full-length project Tactics followed in 2014.
Cook grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and attended Columbia College in Chicago. After college, she began playing at various clubs and festivals across the United States, opening for acts including contemporary gospel musician Jonathan McReynolds and Christian rapper George Moss.
Cook released an EP titled Pass It On in September 2012, followed by the single “For a Poet,” which charted at No. 2 on Rádio Nova Portugal in December 2014. She later released the full-length album Tactics, produced by bassist Chris Thigpen, whose father Cornell Thigpen (Mary J. Blige, Chaka Kahn, Stevie Nicks, and Patti LaBelle) played organ on the song “Hotshot.”
An album review by The Phantom Tollbooth magazine said of Cook’s performance on Tactics, “Alma has the vocal innocence of Amber Rubarth combined with vocal qualities rivaling Denise Donatelli.”
As of 2021, Cook was a podcast host and co-director of cultural engagement for Braver Angels, an American nonprofit focused on political depolarization. She was noted by Forbes as a conservative.
In addition to her work as a musician, Cook owns an oil and gas compliance company, Cook Compliance Solutions, based in Williston, North Dakota with a satellite office in Houston, TX.
The business works with oilfield service providers looking to obtain the right safety certifications, insurance and other measures needed to contract under larger oil companies.
Click here to support Alma Cook’s Energy Compliance Company
Click here to support Alma Cook’s Music Career
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