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November 2011 • BAKKEN BREAKOUT


By Dan Sharp for the Tribune


hroughout most of the past 60 years, North Dakota crude oil production has


been noteworthy if not spectacular when compared with heavy-hitters like Texas, Alaska, California and a handful of other states. From 1980 until about five years ago, North Dakota production averaged about 100,000 barrels per day with a spike some years and a dip in others. That’s all changed.


The United States Energy Information Administration lists 28


states as oil producers. Most of them have shown steady production declines over the past few decades as traditionally prolific fields become depleted and fewer new fields discovered. Some states have had modest production gains.


With the increased success in the Bakken play, North Dakota is one of very few states actually showing an increase in annual crude oil produced. And no state has experienced anything nearly as dramatic as what we’ve seen in the


western oil-producing counties. While production was about 98,000 barrels per day in 2005, that figure increased to 310,000 barrels in 2010 — a jump of over 200 percent.


During that period, North Dakota surpassed Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Wyoming in annual production. With production now courting 400,000 BOPD, fourth place North Dakota is getting close to catching and passing California in the oil production derby. Only Texas


and Alaska produce more.


Will North Dakota ever be number one? Statistics tell us it’s conceivable. One thing is for sure — North Dakota’s oil patch shows more differences than similarities with its rival producers.


Concerns hamper California growth While one doesn’t normally associate crude oil production with southern California, the state has been a leading oil producer since the end of


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