Oil Boom

The House has passed a change in the oil tax distribution formula.

But it isn’t what Governor Dalrymple proposed.

The current formula on oil tax is – 75 percent goes to the state, 25 percent to local governments. Dalrymple and oil patch Republicans wanted to make that formula 60-40 – 60 percent to local governments, 40 percent to the state. Instead, the House passed what it called the 70-30 plan – 70 percent to the state, 30 percent to local governments.

House Democratic Minority Leader Kenton Onstad (D-Parshall) says he’s reluctantly supporting the proposal.

Todd Melby visits with Phil Hamm about his experience with housing in Williston

Caleb Kobalinsky is getting some rest after undertaking an extreme venture to deliver a message of support to those in North Dakota's oil patch. Prairie Public reporter Todd McDonald has details...

We’re airing a series of stories this week about injuries and deaths in North Dakota’s oil patch. Yesterday, we learned how the death of oil worker Dustin Bergsing affected his fiancée, daughter and a close friend.

Today, we explore the legal battle that occurred after Bergsing died. It concerns whether or not Marathon Oil ignored repeated internal warnings about unsafe working conditions at the well site where the young man worked.

Black Gold Boom reporter Todd Melby has the story.

This story was made possible by a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

During the last couple of days, we’ve been focusing on the rising number of injuries and deaths in North Dakota’s oil patch.

Trauma admissions have doubled or tripled at hospitals in the west. More men are dying on drilling rigs and other oil industry workplaces than ever before.

Today, we examine how these trends are affecting families. Black Gold Boom reporter Todd Melby traveled to Montana to learn more.

This week we’re exploring injuries and deaths in North Dakota oil country.

Yesterday, we learned about the struggles of a rural ambulance company and the rising number of trauma admissions at western North Dakota hospitals.

Today, we turns our attention to on-the-job deaths in the state’s booming oil industry. According to a 2008 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, oil field workers are seven times more likely to suffer a fatal on-the-job injury than the average American worker.

North Dakota’s non-stop oil boom has made lots of people rich. Some ranchers are millionaires, a few oil bosses are billionaires and lots of working people have more money in their pockets than they used to.

But those riches haven’t come without a cost.

As the boom exploded with drilling rigs, frac crews, and oilfield workers of every kind, the number of on-the-job deaths has jumped to record highs. Traumatic injuries on roads and job sites have also skyrocketed.