Connect with us

North Dakota

1st funds from Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law flow into North Dakota

Published

on

1st funds from Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law flow into North Dakota


Two state businesses are set to obtain a number of the first cash for North Dakota from the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation handed final fall.

The governor-led, six-member Emergency Fee on Friday accredited $2.5 million of elevated spending authority for the Division of Mineral Assets for its deserted oil effectively plugging program.

The panel additionally accredited about $1 million for the Division of Environmental High quality to rent 4 momentary, full-time-equivalent staff to manage future funding for consuming water initiatives and to deal with new federal necessities on lead and copper water strains.

The board’s state Home members objected to the unique request for six momentary staff, seeing that dialogue as extra applicable for the subsequent legislative session in 2023. The panel pared the six staff to 4 for the company’s director to put the place he deems finest.

Advertisement

Each businesses want closing approval from the Legislature’s Finances Part, which is about to fulfill June 28. 

Persons are additionally studying…

Advertisement

Funding potential

Most state businesses are nonetheless making use of for aggressive grants or awaiting steering on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package deal, in accordance with Workplace of Administration and Finances Director Joe Morrissette.

The Legislative Council, lawmakers’ nonpartisan fiscal and authorized analysis company, is monitoring the infrastructure package deal’s implementation and when and the way a lot North Dakota could obtain, in accordance with Legislative Finances Analyst & Auditor Allen Knudson.

An April memo outlines a preliminary estimate that North Dakota might have out there to it greater than $1.1 billion of potential new cash from the invoice over the subsequent 5 years, along with $1.3 billion in reauthorized, common funding to the state in that very same time-frame.

North Dakota eyes federal money for expansion of oil well plugging program

Advertisement






111820-nws-helms.jpg (copy)

State Mineral Assets Director Lynn Helms.


Advertisement

Tom Stromme



Nicely plugging

Mineral Assets’ funding is a part of a $25 million grant; $22.5 million will go into the Deserted Oil and Gasoline Nicely Plugging and Web site Restoration Fund, not needing fee approval due to a seamless appropriation already licensed by state legislation.

This system begun in 2020 plugged 380 wells utilizing $66 million of federal CARES Act coronavirus support; 186 wells stay.

The $22.5 million will likely be used to fund contract work for effectively plugging and reclamation prices for the remaining wells, Morrissette stated. The $2.5 million is to manage this system, he stated.

Advertisement

North Dakota’s program turned a mannequin for a $4.7 billion nationwide effort coated by the federal infrastructure package deal, to handle 1000’s of deserted wells in different states, in accordance with Mineral Assets Director Lynn Helms.

“It’s going to be a sequence of three to 4 grants that we’ll be coming to speak to you about; that is the primary,” Helms instructed the panel. 

Legislature approves stopgap limit for North Dakota spending panel

Spending limits

Gov. Doug Burgum raised the problem of spending caps on the Emergency Fee, limits the 2021 Legislature imposed after gobs of federal coronavirus support flowed by means of the six-person panel in 2020 with little enter from state lawmakers. 

The board cannot approve in mixture greater than $50 million in federal funds or $20 million in particular funds each two years with out approval of the complete Legislature.

Advertisement

The particular funds restrict was initially $5 million, however the Legislature accredited a stopgap $20 million cap final fall after the caps raised issues final summer time.

The caps may complicate federal cash set to move to North Dakota in coming years, particularly massive sums, and probably put in danger aggressive grant alternatives, in accordance with the governor.

“I am certain that the intention was effectively which means of in some way ensuring that there was applicable oversight on funds, however the capability to obtain federal funds which might be being distributed by the federal authorities is one factor that we most likely should not be handcuffing ourselves on, relative to different states,” Burgum instructed the panel. 

The board has 74% of its federal spending authority and 18% of its particular funds authority remaining midway by means of this funds cycle, in accordance with Morrissette.



Advertisement




Doug Burgum mug

Gov. Doug Burgum




Small sums

The governor additionally stated he’d “wish to see” that Morrissette as state funds director be allowed to approve minimal funding requests, akin to $5,000 for the state Faculty for the Blind that the Emergency Fee accredited Friday. 

Advertisement

That quantity “should not represent the gathering of six elected officers,” Burgum stated. The board contains the governor, secretary of state and 4 key lawmakers, who met Friday in individual and by videoconference.

“We should let OMB simply approve these sorts of adjustments in the event that they’re this small, and never must have them come earlier than the Emergency Fee,” Burgum stated, directing his feedback as “an ask for change in authority going ahead.”

The Emergency Fee is about to see large turnover after the November election, when there will likely be a brand new secretary of state and new legislative majority leaders and appropriations committee chairs. Burgum will proceed to chair the panel. 

Attain Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

North Dakota

Williston man hits off-road motorcycle in fatal crash

Published

on

Williston man hits off-road motorcycle in fatal crash


WILLISTON, N.D. — A 20-year-old Montana man was killed after a North Dakota man — who is accused of driving drunk — hit the off-road motorcycle he was driving.

According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the crash happened just after 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1 at the intersection of Second Avenue West and Second Street West in Williston, North Dakota.

The Poplar, Montana, man was driving a 2020 Yamaha off-road motorcycle west on Second Street when 46-year-old Maverick Stanton of Williston attempted to make a turn onto Second Avenue West. Stranton, who was driving a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500, failed to yield and struck the motorcycle, the patrol said.

The Montana man was taken to Trinity Hospital in Minot, North Dakota, where he died.

Advertisement

Stranton was not injured. He was arrested for driving under the influence.

The name of the Montana man has not yet been released. The highway patrol said the roads were clear and it was sunny at the time of the crash.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

North Dakota

Who is Grey Zabel? What to know about North Dakota State football lineman after Senior Bowl

Published

on

Who is Grey Zabel? What to know about North Dakota State football lineman after Senior Bowl


Grey Zabel might be the perfect player to prove the case for the Senior Bowl.

The former North Dakota State football offensive lineman has made a name for himself this week in practices and at the Senior Bowl game itself on Saturday. For his strong week at practices in Mobile, Alabama, Zabel was named the Senior Bowl Overall Practice Player of the Week in a poll by 32 NFL executives.

Zabel has worked into the conversation of being a late first-round pick following an intense week in front of NFL scouts and personnel.

Advertisement

Here’s what you need to know about Zabel, including his college recruitment:

Who is Grey Zabel?

Zabel measured at 6-foot-5, 316 pounds at the Senior Bowl. He appeared in 62 games during his career with the Bison, including starting at left tackle in his final season. He has proven he can play everywhere, as he also made starts at left guard, right tackle and right guard during his career.

During the Senior Bowl, Zabel played guard and got in a drive at center, further proving his positional versatility for the next level. Zabel graduated from NDSU with a major in agribusiness and a minor in economics and precision agriculture.

Zabel earned First-Team FCS All-American this season at tackle for the Bison, but being able to show his ability to play around the offensive line and the ability he creates with his hands and feet has earned him high praise from NFL draft analysts.

Advertisement

“From start-to-finish, Grey Zabel dominated the week,” ESPN analyst Field Yates wrote on social media. “He was outstanding in 1-on-1s at both guard spots and center. His hands and feet were always in sync and he finished with an edge. Leaving this week, Zabel felt like a guy who will hear his name called late in Round 1.”

Grey Zabel recruitment

  • Star rating: 0 stars
  • National ranking: No ranking
  • Positional ranking: No ranking
  • State ranking: No ranking

According to 247Sports’ Composite rankings, Zabel was unranked in the 2020 recruiting class out of T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre, South Dakota. Zabel also held offers from South Dakota and South Dakota State but committed to the Bison on July 16, 2019. He finished his high school career with 84 tackles, 25 t tackles for loss and 14 sacks.



Source link

Continue Reading

North Dakota

Former Grand Forks lawmaker Corey Mock says appointment to Governor’s Cabinet was 'totally unexpected'

Published

on

Former Grand Forks lawmaker Corey Mock says appointment to Governor’s Cabinet was 'totally unexpected'


GRAND FORKS — No one may have been more surprised than Corey Mock when new North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong asked him to join the administration as the state’s chief information officer.

Mock, who for years served Grand Forks as a lawmaker representing the Democratic Party, is one of 12 Cabinet members the incoming Republican governor announced shortly after the November election.

Armstrong’s invitation to serve “was totally unexpected,” Mock said, noting that it came after his “difficult” decision in early 2024 to not seek a fifth term in the Legislature.

The appointment apparently raised eyebrows in some strongly partisan sectors, but Mock said he has gotten nothing but favorable responses.

Advertisement

“I’ve only received messages of congratulations, and that’s from Republicans, Democrats and independents alike. It’s been quite evident that everyone agrees this is a nonpartisan office — there are no Republican and Democratic computers.”

Regarding his appointment, “I never thought of the political side of it until after I’d read one of the first articles,” said Mock, who served on the state’s Information Technology Committee for 16 years in the Legislature. “To me, this has never been a partisan position.”

From his perspective, political ideology is the “last (consideration) in this role — or any role, really,” he said.

“I’m an institutionalist, and proud of it. If anything, during my time in the Legislature, I became known for being stubbornly independent and focused on solving underlying problems, versus being a champion for a specific solution.”

As head of NDIT, Mock said his top priorities will be to ensure that, as an agency, “we continue to provide exceptional service.”

Advertisement

Mock, who served from 2008 to 2024 in the North Dakota Legislature — eight years representing District 42 and eight years representing District 18 — is obviously proud of the strides NDIT has made.

“We are the most connected state in terms of broadband access in the country,” he said. “It is an incredible accomplishment that’s taken decades of hard work and something that we should all be proud of.”

Among the most pressing challenges NDIT faces are issues related to cybersecurity, Mock said.

“We are one of the leaders in having a whole-of-government cybersecurity protection. You never want to need it, but when there is an incident, it’s so helpful having consolidated expertise that can step in and assist really every level of government.

“And technology is rapidly changing,” he said. “Looking at this session, we’ve got AI (artificial intelligence). … We know that there’s going to be some investments needed in AI — and waiting two years is probably not an option.”

Advertisement

Former Gov. Doug Burgum earmarked $15 million in the budget for AI-related grants, said Mock, who, in addition to his legislative experience, has built a career as a Realtor and leadership consultant.

He sees NDIT’s role as “not just helping with the technical questions, but that we’re anticipating future needs,” he said, “and making sure that, as we bring new technology in and we start making some investments and improvements, that we’re doing it strategically …”

During the summer and early fall, Mock reached out to colleagues, including appropriations committee chairpersons, returning legislators and both gubernatorial candidates, offering his help with any of the larger budgets he had worked on. He took this action “recognizing that we’re going to have some turnover – if there was anything I could do to help him or his team in the transition to get brought up to speed on where the Legislature had been. …

“From my perspective, that’s how a lot of this began — just offering to be a resource to him and his transition team as they were heading into the legislative session,” Mock said.

In a conversation in mid-November, Armstrong asked about Mock’s plans after his term ended “and quickly pivoted to, ‘I want you to run IT for me,’” Mock recalled. “It was totally unexpected — a true, I’d say, stunning response. It kind of set me back on my heels a bit, not even thinking that was even in the cards.”

Advertisement

After mulling it over for a few days, “I called him back and said, ‘I don’t have a compelling reason to say no. I serve at the pleasure of the governor; if you want me to join your team, I would be honored.’”

The appointment “speaks so highly of Kelly Armstrong wanting to build the right team,” Mock said. “Kelly puts his trust in his team (and) wants to put the right people in the job and let them do their job.”

“I think it’s heartening to see an elected official on a party ballot, so someone who represents a major political party, to look past the labels and to put people on his team that he knows and trusts regardless of their own political affiliation,” he said.

The origin of North Dakota Information Technology can be traced to 1969, he said, when it – as Central Processing — was part of the Office of Management and Budget, Mock said. In 1999, as the result of an interim legislative study, it became a separate agency — and, with that, a chief information office position was created.

Mock, the state’s ninth chief information officer since 1999, said he expects to be “out in the public and working with our team members and our agency clients as frequently as possible. I think that’s going to help us better understand what we can do to help improve state government and make sure that we’re using our resources efficiently and effectively.”

Advertisement

He intends to gain a first-hand understanding of how the workflow operates, he said.

As for the possibility of moving his family to Bismarck — the Mocks have three young children — that is something the couple will consider after the legislative session ends in the spring, he said.

He and his wife will make the decision, Mock said, based on “what makes the most sense for them — and for us.”





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending