Living in McKenzie County

From the 1980s Bust to Today's Shale Revolution

How did McKenzie County keep the lights on in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s after the oil bust? Season 2, Episode 23 of the Living in McKenzie County podcast features community leaders Tim Taylor, Steve Stenehjem, and Neal Shipman discussing how McKenzie County has endured historic hardships, and what we can learn about resilience and community as we look to the future. Watch Cowboys and Crude: The McKenzie County Story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka_T8eMoOjg [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka_T8eMoOjg] 00:00 Welcome 01:40 Introductions 12:45 Getting Involved on Boards 24:16 Community Growth 31:22 Communication and Transparency 36:08 Paying Down Debt 44:08 Black Friday 54:04 Keeping the Lights On 01:01:41 Local Programs 01:04:11 Renaissance Zone Project 01:07:32 2010s Oil Boom 01:10:50 Watford City Municipal Airport 01:13:44 The Boom As a Journalist 01:18:47 Expanding Opportunities 01:20:55 Bank Diversification 01:24:49 Leadership and Industry 01:30:11 Value Added Natural Gas 01:35:28 Looking Ahead

July Lineup: Events, Activities, & Homefest!

Jessie Veeder-Scofield hosts this special episode of the Living in McKenzie County podcast with guests Oksana Zvyagelskiy, Crystal Picklesimer, and Josh Nollmeyer to preview a busy summer of community events. The group takes a look a Homefest in Watford City, Art in the Park, the Minot Hot Tots baseball game, and Parks and Recreation programming. Homefest https://www.watfordcityevents.com/all/Calendar/Details/Watford-City-Homefest-Food-Music-on-Main-/4502 [https://www.watfordcityevents.com/all/Calendar/Details/Watford-City-Homefest-Food-Music-on-Main-/4502] Art in the Park https://longxarts.com/events/artinthepark/ [https://longxarts.com/events/artinthepark/] Minot Hot Tots vs. St. Cloud Rox https://roughridercenter.com/event/minot-hot-tots-vs-st-cloud-rox-watford-city-weekend-baseball/ [https://roughridercenter.com/event/minot-hot-tots-vs-st-cloud-rox-watford-city-weekend-baseball/] 00:00 Welcome 02:02 HomeFest 04:37 Parks and Rec Homefest Activities 07:43 Art in the Park 09:25 Family Fun Schedule 12:57 Why HomeFest Matters 14:40 Jonesy Sculpture 18:47 HomeFest Memories 21:45 Hot Tots Baseball Weekend 28:29 Rough Rider Center Camps 30:41 Summer Art Camps 34:28 July Art Classes 35:15 Little Market on Main 37:35 Community Partners Spotlight 39:31 County Fair Recap 42:22 Missoula Children's Theater 44:48 Wrap-Up

Let's Talk About Data Centers

County Commissioners Howdy Lawlar and Craig Hystad, along with farmer and rancher Nathan Brenna and host Meghan Taunton recap an educational trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming with a 16-person delegation of local officials and landowners to learn about data center development. They describe hearing from the City of Cheyenne, Cheyenne LEADS, Microsoft, Meta, Black Hills Energy, utilities, and planners. Throughout their discussion, the group describes their take away lessons on zoning and permitting, partner expectations, infrastructure costs, water and wastewater handling, and noise levels. The episode also previews the upcoming data center open house on June 25 from 5:30–8:30 PM at the McKenzie County Ag Expo to answer questions and share McKenzie County-specific information. 00:00 Introduction 02:04 Cheyenne Trip 05:45 Choosing the Right Partner 08:09 Crypto Data Centers 08:32 Cheyenne Data Centers 14:08 Why Do We Need More Data Centers? 16:23 Water Use 19:33 Job Opportunities 22:44 Cheyenne Data Center Moratorium 23:36 Noise and Power Grid Concerns 28:55 Youth Retention 31:15 Unanswered Questions 34:22 Data Center Open House 38:39 Permitting 39:52 Open House Details 42:02 Closing

Williston Basin Petroleum Conference Recap & Industry Outlook

Host Meghan Taunton welcomes McKenzie County Commissioner Joel Brown and North Dakota State Senator Dale Patten for a recap of the 2026 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck. They discuss the scale and purpose of the conference, consolidation among operators, and the central "Bakken 2.0: Crack the Code" theme focused on enhanced oil recovery to increase recovery rates and extend the Bakken's productive life. The conversation explains rising gas-to-oil ratios, North Dakota's flaring reductions and gas-capture investments, and the need for additional natural gas infrastructure. They go on to cover Artificial Intelligence and data centers, local ordinance control, and tax impacts from oil and gas revenue. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 03:16 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference 09:47 Bakken 2.0 and Enhanced Oil Recovery 15:42 Energy Security and Demand 20:03 Rising Oil Gas Ratio 22:52 Natural Gas Capture and Pipelines 30:29 Competing for Capital 39:25 Utlizing Natural Gas in State 40:00 Artificial Intelligence and Data Centers 43:15 Property Taxes in North Dakota 45:10 Oil Industry Tax Revenues 54:20 Quality of Life 59:20 Local Siting and Ordinances 01:03:09 Data Center Discussion 01:08:39 Federal Lands in McKenzie County 01:13:47 Nuclear Energy 01:16:51 Closing

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Grand Opening!

In the latest Living in Mckenzie County episode, Doug Bolken hosts Brock White with the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation and Gretchen Stenehjem with the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library to preview Medora's major July 4th opening and America 250 celebrations. Alongside a detailed look at the new presidential library, they outline the programming taking place all week from July 2–5, including the July 4 ribbon cutting and a 1,776-drone light show. Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library: www.trlibrary.com/tickets [https://www.trlibrary.com/tickets] Medora's America 250 Celebration: www.medora.com/america250 [https://www.medora.com/america250] 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:07 Library Vision and Design 04:11 Medora Year Round 05:46 Medora Upgrades 07:51 New Trolley Service 08:39 July Fourth Festival Plans 12:28 National Park and Trails 15:07 Library Tickets 16:58 Western North Dakota Experience 18:12 Medora Amenities and Attractions 19:59 America 250 20:50 Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Update 22:28 Theodore Roosevelt National Park 25:35 Inside the TR Library 27:23 Grand Opening