Annual Meeting
MAOGCC Annual Meeting
JUNE 19-20, 2023
Join us for the Annual Meeting of the Montana Association of Oil, Gas, and Coal Counties on June 19th-20th, 2023 in Colstrip, Montana.
A room block is available at the Colstrip Inn & Suites in Colstrip—just mention the “Montana Association of Oil, Gas, And Coal Counties” room block when you call to make a reservation. The reservation desk at the hotel can be reached at 406-748-3400. Please make your reservation by Tuesday, June 13th, 2023.
Please call Shelby at 406-660-1969 if you have any questions pertaining to registration for the conference. The draft agenda is posted below.
Register by using the form below
The registration form below has multiple steps. Your registration will not be submitted until you submit your payment information on the last step. If you would like to register for the meeting, but prefer not to do so online, please call Shelby at 406-660-1969 for assistance.
Scroll down to view the meeting agenda and more!
2023 MAOGCC ANNUAL MEETING AGENDA
MONDAY, JUNE 19
02:00 PM – Westmoreland Mine Tour
A bus will leave for the tour at 2:00 PM from the Colstrip Training Center. To sign up for the tour, email Shelby at shelby@westernconsulting.net or call 406-660-1969!
For those planning to participate in the mine tour, please meet at the Colstrip Training Center. From there, we will be boarding a bus for the tour (which will last until 4:00/4:30 PM). Please be there at 2:00 PM sharp!
To get to the Training Center: If you are coming from the North, go through Colstrip and take the first right as soon as you cross the conveyor belt, then head East on Castlerock Road. Go down Castlerock road and take the third right into the Training Center. Alternatively, Shelby will be leaving the Colstrip Inn & Suites parking lot at 1:45 PM if you’d rather follow her to the bus pickup location.
04:00 PM – Break
There will be a break between the tour and dinner to allow for folks to go back to the hotel/get to the dinner venue.
05:30 PM – Dinner
Location: Mulligans, 1 Long Drive, Colstrip, MT
Dinner will be provided by MAOGCC. Dinner will be prime rib, vegetables, mashed potatoes, soup and salad.
TUESDAY, JUNE 20 (TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
08:30 AM – Breakfast
Location: The Moose Lodge at 6111 Homestead Blvd, Colstrip, MT
Breakfast will be provided
09:00 AM – Meeting Call to Order
Location: The Moose Lodge at 6111 Homestead Blvd, Colstrip, MT
09:05 AM – Consent Items
09:10 AM – Financial Items
09:15 AM – Action Items
Bylaw changes
Board Member Elections
Future Meeting Locations
09:25 AM – Discussion Items
Chairman’s Update: Commissioner Richard Dunbar
09:30 AM – PRESENTATIONS BEGIN
Jim Atchison—Executive Director, Southeastern Montana Development Corporation
The Southeastern Montana Development Corporation (SEMDC) is a group of concerned counties and communities in Southeastern Montana who came together to provide local financial support for economic development. The group has been providing services since July 1997 through joint participation of counties and communities, which allows for synergy and prevents duplication of efforts while providing an agency locally to receive funding and administer services for economic development. Current supporting members of SEMDC are Custer, Powder River, Rosebud, and Treasure Counties; included in the counties are the cities of Colstrip, Forsyth, and Miles City; and the towns of Broadus and Hysham. Jim will be providing a presentation on the economic future of Colstrip, how it will change, and how they are planning for long term sustainability.
Brant Johnson—Vice President of Grid United’s Northern Plains Connector Project
Brant Johnson leads Grid United’s Northern Plains Connector project. With more than 20 years of experience as an energy professional, Brant has supported the development of major linear infrastructure projects across the U.S. With deep experience managing regulatory, environmental, tribal, and landowner issues, Brant employs an inclusive approach with North Plains Connector stakeholders as a former native of both Montana and North Dakota. Prior to joining Grid United, Brant led legal and technical teams at large companies supporting energy and infrastructure. Brant also served as counsel to local government housing development efforts.
Brant is active in environmental industry associations and has been an adjunct law professor teaching a course on energy regulation. He received his J.D. and bachelor’s degree in zoology from Brigham Young University and is a licensed attorney in Texas and Montana.
Grid United formed with the goal of uniting the U.S. electric grid by building new long-distance, interregional transmission lines to ensure that Americans have access to low-cost power when and where it is needed. One of their projects is the Northern Plains Connector, which is an approximately 385 mile and up to 525 kilovolt high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line connecting the U.S. eastern and western electric grids in Montana and North Dakota.
Ben Jones—Petroleum Engineer, Montana Board of Oil & Gas
Ben Jones, a petroleum engineer for nearly 15 years, brings experience from both the private and public sectors and currently serves as the petroleum engineer and technical advisor for the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (MBOGC), which administers the Montana oil and gas conservation laws; promotes conservation and prevents waste in the recovery of resources; and regulates oil and gas exploration and production. Ben will be providing an annual update from the Board of Oil & Gas on production over the past year.
Darryl James—Government Affairs representative for Westmoreland Mining and Executive Director, Montana Infrastructure Coalition
Darryl James is one of the Montana Government Affairs representatives for Westmoreland. They were active in proposing several bills this session that will have positive impacts for coal development in Montana. Darryl will be providing an update on these bills and their status, as well as additional updates pertaining to Westmoreland’s Montana operations. He is also the Executive Director of the Montana Infrastructure Coalition, or MIC, which is comprised of volunteer members representing over 100 industry, labor, and trade associations, local governments and business entities. The purpose of the Coalition is to provide reliable information to state and local decision-makers and their constituents regarding the need for infrastructure investment, and to explore economically and politically sustainable methods of funding critical infrastructure in the future.
Dan Gray, Jr. MBA—President, Rosebud Operating Services, Inc. (Colstrip Energy limited Partnership)
Dan Gray—President of Rosebud Operating Services, Inc.—will be providing a presentation on the company’s operations, including the Rosebud Power Plant. The Project is a 38 megawatt (“MW”) net coal refuse fired electric generation facility located on a site approximately seven miles north of Colstrip, Montana, in Rosebud County. The facility is owned by Colstrip Energy Limited Partnership (“CELP”), which consists of two limited partners, Harrier Power LLC and Spruce Limited Partnership, and the general partner, Rosebud Energy Corp. Day-to-day operation and maintenance services for the Project are provided under a services contract by Rosebud Operating Services, Inc. (“ROSI”). The fuel for the Project is coal refuse that is a byproduct of the mining operations of Western Energy Company (“Western”) at the nearby Rosebud mine.
Molly Schwend—Community Affairs Specialist, NorthWestern Energy
A representative from NorthWestern energy will be presenting an update on NWE’s newest projects and proposed EPA rules.
Shelby DeMars—MAOGCC Executive Director, Legislative Update
Shelby will be providing an in depth look at the legislation that MAOGCC was active in during the 2023 legislative session.
12:00 PM – Adjourn
PAST MEETING MINUTES
Click here to view the 2017 MAOGCC Annual Meeting Minutes (were voted on and approved at the 2018 Annual Meeting)
Click here to view the 2016 MAOGCC Annual Meeting Minutes (were voted on and approved at the 2017 Annual Meeting)