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Bakken Shale Current Events


Fracking Backlog in North Dakota
January 20, 2012 | Bloomberg

Even though oil production from North Dakota’s Bakken Formation has propelled the state to new production records there is still a backlog of wells to be fracked.

Declining Royalty Payments from Natural Gas Wells
January 3, 2012 | Geology.com

Many property owners are very surprised when the royalties that they receive from a natural gas well on their property decline sharply. They are learning about production decline curves.

Activity in the Bakken Formation
January 3, 2012 | Globe and Mail

Lynn Peterson, CEO of Kodiak Oil & Gas gives an overview of current activity in the United States portion of the Bakken Formation.

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North Dakota Oil Production Rising
December 30, 2011 | Energy Information Administration

Rising production from the Bakken Shale has propelled North Dakota up to the fourth largest oil producing state behind Texas, Alaska and California.

1/3 of Bakken Gas is Flared
December 29, 2011 | Energy Information Administration

The Energy Information Administration reports that about 1/3 of the natural gas produced from the Bakken Formation of North Dakota is flared instead of marketed because natural gas pipelines are not present in the production area or they can not accept additional gas.

Learning about Oil and Gas Leases
December 5, 2011 | New York Times

An article in the New York Times reviews some potential rewards and problems that occur when a landowner decides to lease his property for oil and and gas development.

Related: Mineral Rights

Supersized Topographic Maps
December 4, 2011 | MyTopo.com

The folks at MyTopo.com are now printing supersized topo maps – large enough make a huge 5′ x 8′ (or 8′ x 5′) map that will look fantastic on the wall of your office, conference room, lobby, cabin or den. These maps are custom-centered on any location that you pick using their online map-making tool. Lots of smaller sizes are also available.

We are affiliates of MyTopo.com and receive a commission on sales.

North Dakota: Record Oil Production
November 28, 2011 | FuelFix.com

There is still more than one month remaining in 2011, but oil production in North Dakota has broken the annual record set in 2010. The state is on-target to produce about 150 million barrels.

Hiring Boom in North Dakota
October 28, 2011 | MSNBC

Thousands of high-paying new jobs are unfilled in North Dakota where natural gas and oil are being produced from the Bakken Formation, the Niobrara Shale and other rock units.

How Much Oil is in the Bakken?
October 4, 2011 | Wall Street Journal

Although the United States Geological Survey estimates that the Bakken Formation beneath parts of North Dakota, Montana and Canada might contain over 4 billion barrels of oil, Harold Hamm, believes that it might contain up to 24 billion barrels.

Oh No! Who Really Owns the Natural Gas in Shale?
September 23, 2011 | Business Week

Is natural gas part of the shale or is it a fugitive commodity that is not an integral part of any specific rock unit? Will a refined legal definition of natural gas in Pennsylvania overturn thousands of historic leases?

Halliburton Could Hire 11,000
September 7, 2011 | LA Times

Halliburton says that they expect to hire about 11,000 oil field service people in 2011. Many of the jobs will be in North Dakota.

Shale Gas and U.S. National Security
July 22, 2011 | Baker Institute for Public Policy

The Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University has published a report titled: “Shale Gas and U.S. National Security”. “This study assesses the impact of U.S. domestic shale gas development on energy security and U.S. national security, with emphasis on the geopolitical consequences of rising supplies of U.S. natural gas from shale and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.” Quoted from the report summary.

Projections of North American Shale Gas Production
July 10, 2011 | FuelFix

The FuelFix website has an article that includes natural gas production projections for North American gas shale plays. It is interesting to note that projections of annual production for calendar year 2040 moved upwards from about 14TCF in 2009 to about 19TCF in 2011.

EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study Areas
June 27, 2011 | FuelFix.com

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the potential for hydraulic fracturing activities to impact surface and/or underground sources of drinking water, beginning with well site development and progressing through well abandonment. Seven geographic study areas have been announced.

Shale Oil Will Reduce US Imports
June 17, 2011 | Bloomberg

Rapidly rising oil production from rock units such as the Bakken Formation and Eagle Ford Shale are going to put a large dent in the amount of oil that is currently brought into the United States from other countries.

Low Production Rates for Niobrara Shale Wells
June 6, 2011 | Denver Post

Drillers hope that wells in the Niobrara Shale will yield similar quantities of oil and natural gas as wells in the nearby Bakken Formation. However, early results show Niobrara wells yielding at less than half the rate of Bakken wells.

Brine Contamination Associated with Oil and Gas Production in the Williston Basin
May 24, 2011 | USGS

“U.S. Geological Survey scientists and cooperating partners are examining the potential risk to aquatic resources by contamination from saline waters produced by petroleum development in the Williston Basin of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.” Quoted from the USGS publication release.

Bakken Formation Oil and Gas Reassessment
May 20, 2011 | UPI

In the past three years oil and natural gas production from the Bakken Formation of North Dakota and Montana has increased dramatically causing the United States Geological Survey to launch an update of its last assessment that was completed just three years ago.

Shale Oil Holds Up Domestic Production
April 5, 2011 | Houston Chronicle

Domestic oil production rose during 2010 even though problems in the Gulf shut down producing wells. Production from unconventional sources such as the Bakken Shale of North Dakota and the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas was rising rapidly.

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