Tag Archives: infrastructure

Montana legislature to eastern Montana: your infrastructure, your problem

Posted on May 1, 2015 by davidjkatz

The Montana legislature has failed once again to pass a bill that would support the increased infrastructure needs caused by oil and gas drilling in eastern Montana. As the semi-annual legislative session closed this week, two bills that would have … Continue reading →

Posted in Bakken | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Support SB374, which would provide infrastructure support for Montana communities impacted by oil and gas drilling

Posted on March 16, 2015 by davidjkatz

Montana’s oil and gas tax holiday, instituted by the legislature in the 1999, provides a huge and unnecessary tax break to oil and gas companies. They pay a tax of only 0.5 percent of the production value for the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and History | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Sidney, Montana: Riding the boomtown roller coaster (with NPR audio)

Posted on March 11, 2015 by davidjkatz

Sidney, Montana is riding the boomtown roller coaster. Last year we reported on Sidney’s unmet infrastructure needs as the town was  riding the upwards Bakken boom. Growth had taxed the city’s infrastructure to bursting. A summary from a Montana Public … Continue reading →

Posted in Bakken, Fracking Information | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Oil and gas: 10 lessons for 2015

Posted on January 1, 2015 by davidjkatz

2014 was a tumultuous year along the Beartooth Front. It began with our communities reeling from an announcement by Energy Corporation of America that the company planned to bring “a little bit of the Bakken” here, a quick drilling permit … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Organization, Fracking informaation, Health impacts | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Who pays for infrastructure? You do. The case of Sidney, Montana

Posted on June 13, 2014 by davidjkatz

Yesterday’s post was about infrastructure, roads and taxes. The basic argument was: Infrastructure costs go up as oil and gas drilling expands. Because the benefits or drilling — corporate profits, jobs, increase in the supply of oil — are distributed … Continue reading →

Posted in Bakken, Community Organization, Politics and History | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Infrastructure, roads and taxes: you pay when the cost goes up

Posted on June 12, 2014 by davidjkatz

From time to time we’ve talked about the impact of expanded oil and gas drilling on regional infrastructure — the basic facilities and structures needed for a community to operate. These include road maintenance, schools, health care, law enforcement, sewage … Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking Information | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments