NDPC President Ron Ness talks annual meeting, state of the Bakken

WATFORD CITY, N.D. (KUMV) - More than 400 oilfield executives and state leaders are in Watford City this week for the North Dakota Petroleum Council’s annual meeting.

The two-day event covers a variety of topics from enhanced oil recovery to developing a local workforce for the energy industry.

President Ron Ness with the Council said they will also discuss upcoming mergers.

“We got some of the major CEO’s here talking about what the company will look like after they’ve merged with another company or bought another company. A lot of people in this industry and across western North Dakota are always interested to know what the plans are going forward,” said Ness.

Ness said this event highlights advancements in technology and the potential future of the region.

“We got Cerilon here talking about their big project. We have Commerce here talking about the other value-added projects across North Dakota. We got to find uses for this Bakken gas,” said Ness.

There are several changes in leadership ahead at the state and federal level. Ness said regardless of the outcomes, the industry will continue to deal with whatever regulations are issued.

“You have to prepare to comply because the reality is most of them are in place and are going to effect, so it’s a big challenge for us, but we’re going to get it done,” said Ness.

The annual meeting continues through Thursday.