The South Dakota Oil and Gas Association (SDOGA) announces TransCanada’s Larry Scheuerman, Director of Project Development for the Keystone XL pipeline project will be a featured speaker at the 2014 Black Hills Bakken and Investor Conference October 1 and 2. The conference will be held at the Spearfish Holiday Inn Convention Center in Spearfish, S.D.

Scheuerman is responsible for the development of non-regulated Canadian and US oil and gas projects including pipelines and facilities from prospect to commencement of implementation.  Scheuerman brings over 35 years experience in oil and gas pipeline and facility construction and project development completing several projects within North America and internationally. Scheuerman will give attendees to the conference a highly anticipated update discussing the opportunities and future of the Keystone XL pipeline in South Dakota and the northern portion of the project.

According to the U.S. Department of State’s FSEIS, the Keystone XL project spending would support approximately 42,100 jobs (direct, indirect, and induced), and approximately $2 billion dollars in earnings throughout the United States. Of these jobs, approximately 3,900 would be direct construction jobs in the proposed project area, which includes South Dakota. Property tax revenue during operations would be substantial for many counties, with an increase of 10 percent or more in 17 of the 27 counties with proposed Project Facilities.

South Dakota Oil and Gas Association’s Executive Director Adam Martin states, “We are excited to have Mr. Scheuerman speaking. This update comes at a critical time in United States and South Dakota history. The project would help support economic growth in our smaller rural communities and create good paying jobs with needed health benefits. The delays to approve the Keystone XL project continue to make it harder for our farmers and ranchers to have grain products like corn and soybeans delivered by rail. Unfortunately the longer the project is delayed, the rising costs to construct the pipeline will result in those costs being passed down to the consumer. It’s a counter-productive delay that will end up costing our farmers, ranchers, and the American taxpayer. We’ve lost too many opportunities by the delay, and we need the infrastructure. We need to get these opportunities back. It’s time to approve and build the Keystone XL.”

Sources: http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/221135.pdf

More information about speakers of the conference can be found at: www.BlackHillsBakkenConference.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. –North Dakota Petroleum Council (NDPC) Vice President Kari Cutting will testify before two U.S. House subcommittees today on the subject of Bakken Petroleum: The Substance of Energy Independence.
In her testimony to the House Subcommittee on Energy and Subcommittee on Oversight, Cutting will address the industry’s safety record and goals, the qualities of Bakken crude, the steps taken by the industry to properly classify and ship Bakken crude oil, and steps taken to ensure emergency responders are prepared to handle any incidences that may occur.

“Three independent studies have now shown that Bakken crude is similar to other North American light, sweet crude oils in gravity, vapor pressure, flash point and initial boiling point,” says Cutting. “According to these studies, Bakken crude oil chemical properties attest to its proper classification as a Class 3 flammable liquid. This category contains most of the valuable fuels and fuel feed stocks offered for transportation in the United States.”

With the increase of Bakken crude being shipped by rail, however, Cutting stressed the industry’s continued commitment to safely handling and transporting this cargo, including its partnership with railroads and local responders to develop a common educational tool to be distributed broadly to fire departments either through web portal or DVDs. This information is available for companies to use in continued interaction with EMS personnel.

The oil and gas industry will also continue development of additional response resources and periodic meetings to keep the lines of communication open to maximize information sharing of the latest data on emergency response for crude and other flammable liquids incidents.

“Hazardous Materials transported by rail arrive safely at their destination 99.997% of the time, but all stakeholders recognize the importance of implementing additional safety measures to reduce the probability of the remaining 0.003%,” says Cutting. “Routing analysis, infrastructure inspection and maintenance, railcar design, and additional training and information for Emergency Management personnel are all efforts being addressed.”

The joint hearing of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Subcommittee will begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT. The hearing may be viewed online at http://science.house.gov/hearing/subcommittee-energy-and-subcommittee-oversight-joint-hearing-bakken-petroleum-substance.

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ATTACHMENT: Cutting Testimony

For media inquiries, contact Tessa Sandstrom by email. (I will not be reachable via telephone, so please email with questions).

Since 1952, the North Dakota Petroleum Council has been the primary voice of the oil and gas industry in North Dakota. The Petroleum Council represents more than 525 companies involved in all aspects of the oil and gas industry, including oil and gas production, refining, pipeline, mineral leasing, consulting, legal work, and oil field service activities in North Dakota, South Dakota, and the Rocky Mountain Region. Our members produced 98 percent of the 313.5 million barrels of oil produced in North Dakota last year.

URTeC Takes Center Stage in Colorado
Record Attendance Expected as Professionals Across All Segments of the Unconventional Arena Converge for Integrated Event

Complimentary Press Passes Available Here

August 18, 2014//Tulsa, OK – The second edition of the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC) takes center stage 25-27 August at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO. The 2014 event highlights unconventional resource possibilities in North America and around the world, as well as takes an in-depth look at existing plays.

URTeC 2014 is attracting acute interest from the industry as it brings together scientists, engineers and business managers to cross-pollinate ideas and encourage an “asset team” approach to exploration and production. With attendance trending ahead of last year’s inaugural event, the multidisciplinary organizing committee is optimistic that this year’s event will exceed expectations.

“The response to URTeC affirms the importance of this approach to the industry and we look forward to providing a robust, highly-interactive and superior attendee experience,” said Mr. Luis Baez, Co-chair of URTeC’s Technical Program Committee. “The program committee has worked diligently to ensure that the content being offered serves professionals across all segments of the unconventional arena and is second to none.”

A joint project of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) with help from the American Association of Mechanical Engineers, Petroleum Division (ASME-PD), URTeC is one of the industry’s only integrated science and technology events.

The opening plenary session features a panel of experts that will address the topic of “Using Science and Integrated Technologies to Develop Unconventional Plays.” Other interactive panel discussions include “Nimble Independents: Moving the Needle With Innovation and Execution Excellence,” “Converting Technology Into Dollars,” “Emerging International Plays,” “Water Management and the Link to License to Operate” and “Marcellus Shale: ‘Bottom Up’ Integrated Assessment of Future Production and Reserves.”

The program, comprising experts from every aspect of the unconventional sector, features multi-themed technical sessions including 190+ oral sessions, 60+ ePapers, team presentations, topical breakfasts and luncheons, and interactive panel sessions. Cores from several unconventional reservoirs will be on display allowing attendees to view the rocks and compare analyses and results summarized by service companies. Cores are expected from the Haynesville, Bossier, Eagle Ford, Marcellus, Utica, Woodford, Niobrara, Tuscaloosa and Bakken plays.

“Attendees with various levels of unconventional experience will attend. It attracts those that have expertise in unconventionals with its top-quality content,” said Jennifer Bell, chair of the ASME’s Petroleum Division and chief executive officer of Elements Offshore LLC in Houston. She will serve as co-chair for the URTeC session “Emerging Plays: Roadway from Ideas to Sweetspots.”

“URTeC is the best venue where technology can be shared,” said AAPG award-winning member Bob Hardage of the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology.

Several Companies Expected to Announce New Products
Press conferences by exhibiting companies will take place over the course of the event. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.urtec.org or contact press@urtec.org.

Complimentary Press Registrations Available
Members of the press are invited to attend URTeC free of charge, with access to conference sessions, the exhibition and opening plenary session. Expedite press registration or request additional information by contacting Vern Stefanic. For full conference program details, registration, exhibition and sponsorship information, visit www.urtec.org.

About SPE
The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a not-for-profit professional association whose members are engaged in energy resources development and production. SPE serves more than 124,000 members in 135 countries worldwide. SPE is a key resource for technical knowledge related to the oil and gas exploration and production industry and provides services through its publications, events, training courses, and online resources at www.spe.org.

About AAPG
Founded in 1917, AAPG is the premiere global organization for petroleum explorationists with over 42,500 members in 129 countries. The original purpose of AAPG, to foster scientific research, to advance the science of geology, to promote technology, and to inspire high professional conduct, still guides the Association today. AAPG provides publications, conferences, and educational opportunities to geoscientists and disseminates the most current geological information available to the general public.

About SEG
The Society of Exploration Geophysicists is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the science of applied geophysics and the education of geophysicists. SEG’s mission is connecting, inspiring, and propelling the people and science of geophysics. It provides its members with a variety of resources designed to further their success in the geophysics community.  For more information, visit www.seg.org.

Photo by Travis W. Cooksey

BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Petroleum Council (NDPC) today released the final report detailing the results, research methodology and comparative analysis of the Bakken Crude Characteristics Study conducted this spring. The preliminary results of the study, which concluded Bakken crude is similar to other North American light, sweet crudes and does not pose a greater risk to transport by rail than other crudes and transportation fuels, were presented in May during the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference.

“This study provides the most thorough and comprehensive analysis of crude oil quality from a tight oil production basin to date,” said John Auers, executive vice president of Turner, Mason & Company, the engineering firm commissioned to conduct the study. “The study provides conclusive and consistent scientific data about Bakken crude that will help regulators, operators, shippers and other key stakeholders properly classify and monitor Bakken crude in the future.”

In addition to reinforcing the preliminary findings presented in May, the final report also outlined Field Operations Recommended Best Practices to ensure consistent operation of field treating equipment, Bakken crude oil quality and testing procedures and shipping classification. Some of the best recommended practices include (but are not limited to):

· Maintaining all fired treating equipment at a temperature between 90 degrees and 120 degrees Fahrenheit year round to help minimize light end components in crude and create a consistent industry standard to ensure optimal separation of water and gas from the crude oil stream;
· Providing maximum tank settling time possible prior to shipment;
· Reducing stock tank pressure to the lowest pressure possible to maintain vapor collection equipment (engineered flare, vapor recovery, etc.) operational integrity;
· Testing each unit train loading or tank shipment batch to ensure crude is within the established typical Bakken specifications;
· Classifying all Bakken crude as a Class III, Packing Group I hazardous material even if current testing methods would classify a shipment as Packing Group II.

“The study helped establish a baseline for Bakken crude characteristics, and by implementing the recommended best practices outlined in the report, we will ensure Bakken crude remains consistent to those properties,” said Kari Cutting, vice president of the NDPC. “Our members have already begun implementing many of those best practices, further emphasizing our commitment to safety, including in the movement of this valuable resource by rail.”

In addition to outlining recommended best practices and providing in-depth analysis of the final results from sampling and testing, the final report also compares analysis from other studies on Bakken crude, including a study commissioned by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

“The test results from this study are consistent with scientific data reported by the AFPM and PHMSA,” said Cutting. “All of this data does not support the speculation that Bakken crude is more volatile or flammable than other light, sweet crudes. We look forward to using this information to continue our work with regulators and rail companies to develop and implement standards that will ensure all flammable liquids, particularly crude oils that are safely transported by rail.”

Turner, Mason & Company will present the findings of the final report to the North Dakota Industrial Commission on Wednesday, August 6 at 11 a.m. The study was completed by Turner, Mason & Company and SGS Laboratories at a cost of approximately $400,000. The full report may be downloaded at www.ndoil.org/resources/BKN.

Since 1952, the Petroleum Council has been the primary voice of the oil and gas industry in North Dakota. The Petroleum Council represents more than 500 companies involved in all aspects of the oil and gas industry, including oil and gas production, refining, pipeline, mineral leasing, consulting, legal work, and oil field service activities in North Dakota, South Dakota, and the Rocky Mountain Region. For more information, go to www.ndoil.org.

BISMARCK, N.D. – The petroleum industry, the state and communities will come together on Wednesday, June 25 in Tioga, N.D., to celebrate North Dakota’s climb to one million barrels of oil production per day and to show appreciation for the many hard-working men and women who have supported western communities and the industry during the past decade of growth.

The celebration will include remarks from Gov. Jack Dalrymple, Ron Ness, president of the NDPC and Kathy Neset, president of Neset Consulting Service, which is hosting the event at their location. Speakers, a mini museum and tours to the first oil well will highlight North Dakota’s oil and gas history, as well as the state’s role as a top producer of energy for the world and its positive influence on national security.

“We are thrilled to be hosting this celebration and to recognize this remarkable milestone,” said Neset. “One million barrels per day is an impressive level of production. The Bakken – along with other oil resources around the country – have lifted the United States to a more secure level on the global stage of security and independence by providing a safe and reliable source of energy for our country.”

What: One Million Barrels – One Million Thanks Celebration

Where: Neset Consulting Service, 6844 Highway 40, Tioga, ND
When: Wednesday, June 25, 2014
11 a.m. Welcome – Ron Ness, NDPC
North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple
11:15 a.m. Kathy Neset, Neset Consulting Service
11 a.m. – 3 p.m. ND Oil & Gas Industry Mini-Museum Open
11:30 a.m. Ribbon cutting, airshow and flyby by the Texas Flying Legends
12-2 p.m. Community BBQ
12 – 3 p.m. Bus tours to Clarence Iverson No. 1 Well
12 – 3 p.m. Air tours of the Tioga area
12 – 3 p.m. Live music by the Tin Star Band

More Info: The event is free and open to the public and media. Parking and shuttle services will be available at the Tioga Farm Festival Building. For more information about the celebration, visit www.ndoil.org/events.

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The Williston Basin Chapter of the American Petroleum Institute (Williston API) has established endowed scholarships at Montana Tech of the University of Montana and the University of North Dakota.

The Williston API is a nonprofit organization comprised of service oriented individuals who serve the local oil and gas industry, as well as the surrounding community. Our members are dedicated to providing a forum for the discussion of energy related issues and promoting improvement of the energy industry through education and community action.

Williston API members are committed to develop and adhere to the highest level industry standards, protect the environment, and lead in health and safety performance. The Williston API raises funds for scholarships, promotes education, and makes an impact in the community where we live and work.

In 2008, the organization established the Williston API Scholarship program at Montana Tech offering two $2,000 scholarships annually to support one junior and one senior in the Petroleum Engineering Program. The scholarships are part of a continued effort to meet the increasing demand for a skilled workforce in the growing oil and gas industry in the Williston Basin.

The University of North Dakota (UND) has recently established the Department of Petroleum Engineering and the Harold Hamm School of Geology and Geological Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mines offering for the first time a petroleum engineering degree program.

The Education and Scholarship Committee presented a proposal to the board of directors and subsequently to the membership to establish a similar scholarship program at UND as the one at Montana Tech. Ultimately the decision was made to establish the Williston API Endowed Scholarship at UND and fund two $2,000 scholarships to be awarded annually for Petroleum Engineering. Additionally, the chapter also established the Williston API Endowment to fund the scholarships at Montana Tech.

“The education and scholarship committee and our board of directors presented the endowment proposal to our members and they voted with great enthusiasm to establish these endowed scholarships,” commented Ken Callahan, president of the Williston API Board of Directors. “The endowments will enable these scholarships to be funded in perpetuity and our members see this as an investment in our future and a legacy of our chapter.”

“This was a record year for Montana Tech with 405 students enrolled in Petroleum Engineering,” explained Luke Meyer with the Montana Tech Foundation. “We are truly pleased to see the Williston API strengthen their commitment to the program by now creating an endowment for their scholarships that were established in 2008.”

“This represents the very first endowed scholarship for our relatively young Petroleum Engineering program which now has over 200 students in its fourth year in existence,” stated Dan Muus, Chief Development Officer, UND Alumni Association & Foundation. “We are excited to have this ongoing support for our students from the Williston Basin API chapter. UND students graduating with degrees from the Harold Hamm School of Geology and Geological Engineering and the Petroleum Engineering department today, will be leaders within the industry for decades to come.”

Contribution Challenge
The endowments have been initially funded with $25,000 to each institution and will only partially fund the annual scholarships. The Williston API will continue to fund the balance of the scholarships until the endowments are fully funded, approximately $50,000 each. The chapter plans to make future contributions as finances allow and as approved by the membership.

The Williston API education and scholarship committee along with the board of directors would like to challenge and encourage its members and their companies to join in the effort to support the future of our industry by making additional contributions to the endowments. Contributions may be made to either or both endowments by contacting the foundations directly. More information is available at the chapter website at www.WillistonAPI.com.

Brent Eslinger, Sr. District Manager for Halliburton and past president of the Williston API added “This is an outstanding achievement for the Williston API Chapter and its members. It is an opportunity for our industry and our chapter members to give back to our community and prepare our youth for success.” He added “This next step of an endowed scholarship will become a standing legacy for the API chapter.”

“I am proud of our organization and the commitment our members have made to this effort,” stated Kathleen Neset, president of Neset Consulting, past board member of the Williston API, and member of the Education and Scholarship Committee. “I for one would like to encourage other companies to support this initiative and I look forward to fully funding these endowments in the near future.”

Companies and individuals interested in contributing to either or both of the endowments can find more information on the chapter website at www.WillistonAPI.com.

Contact
Williston Basin Chapter API
Ken Callahan, President
701-770-5030
Ken.Callahan@mdu.com

The Bakken Oil Business Journal is a Silver Level Sponsor for this event. See you there!

We, at the Bakken Oil Business Journal, offer our unambiguous support of a project important to meeting American energy needs, the Keystone XL Pipeline.

The Keystone XL Pipeline is a proposed 1,179 mile, 36-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline that goes through a number of states and provinces on its route south, including Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada, and Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska in the U.S. Along with transporting crude oil from Canada, the Keystone XL Pipeline will transport oil from producers in Texas, Oklahoma, Montana and North Dakota.

Building awareness of the need for smart policy about our land and waters and how drilling impacts them isn’t an easy sell in a state whose residents continue to derive so much personal financial benefit from the oil and gas industry.

In the matter of Keystone, the environmental lobby is just plain wrong, as it is a safe and needed addition to America’s network of pipelines that gets oil to market. And there is precious little evidence to the contrary.

Until alternative fuel sources become competitive in availability and cost with our existing carbon-based mainstream supply, we have little choice but to rely on fossil fuels. This pesky fact just can’t be denied. Surely, we hope that time will come sooner rather than later, and we heartily support government funding of innovation to speed arrival of that day. But even the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic of environmentalists know that day is not right around the corner.

In the meantime, regardless of the worldwide climate crisis in which we’re fully engaged, it’s in our collective interest to facilitate America’s relentless need for the oil that runs our cars, heats and cools our homes and powers our factories. The Keystone will facilitate this by getting oil extracted from the buried sands of our friendly Canadian neighbor, down to our U.S. refineries to be converted to gasoline and related products.

Recent, objective studies show Keystone to be the safest, most environmentally secure and least expensive means to get the product to market. And now that the U.S. State Department has announced it found no major basis to oppose the project after an intensive and long-awaited review, it’s time for President Obama to provide his needed seal of approval.

Publisher’s preface: Every morning we’re inundated with sensationalized accounts of events that are presented as news when, in fact, these accounts are accusing diatribes built on finger-pointing and fact-omissions. We’re digesting our morning coffee along with emotionally charged rants created to serve the agendas of those who prepare them, rants that turn the front page into the editorial page.

Too often the target is the U.S. Oil & Gas Industry, the industry that’s worn a BULLSEYE on its back for the last few decades while, ironically, providing the country’s economy with one of the most important elements for growth: low-cost energy. However, since we at the Bakken Oil Business Journal know the U.S. Oil & Gas Industry is the industry that opens the door to increasing the prosperity of the US more than any other, I present you with something real, an account of some hard-working folks who are showing the world why the US is the greatest country in the world, why it is the land of the free and home of the brave.

By:  Marissa van der Valk

Travis Cooksey is the Safety Coordinator for Continental Resources in North Dakota and Montana.  He performs safety inspections on workover rigs, drilling rigs and well sites.  His overall duties include finding ways to keep the men and women out of harms way in the Bakken oil patch.

How does a California surfer end up in the oil fields of North Dakota?  The simple answer could be that he drove there, but life’s journey wasn’t so simple.  It involved biotechnology, the US Navy, a pregnant wife, a fifth wheel and the love of family and country.

Travis Cooksey was born in Redondo Beach, California located in Los Angeles County, which is known for its white sandy beaches and spectacular surfing. Travis is the baby in a family of four boys. He spent his formative years in Camarillo, California, a suburb 45 miles north of Los Angeles. He was a state ranked 800 meter runner in high school and qualified for Nationals in his senior year.  After high school, Travis first jobs were as a pool cleaner and asbestos remover.

He was first introduced to surfing about 20 years ago through a neighbor turned best friend Leroy, who gave him a wetsuit and surfboard for his birthday. Travis describes this gift as the gift that kept on giving. He started surfing and fell in love with catching the next big wave.

In 1990, Travis was hired to work at bio-technology company Amgen Inc located in Thousand Oaks, California.  For the next 13 years Travis worked as a lab technician in the human genomics laboratory. His coworkers describe Travis as being a hard worker with a penchant for telling hilarious stories. He was also described as being fiercely loyal to his family and his country. This is why at 34 years old Travis decided to join the US Navy.

Travis enlisted in the Navy in 2003 at the ripe old age of 34 just one year away from the cut off age.  And his decision to enlist was triggered by the tragic events on September 11, 2001.  He joined through the Navy’s Delayed Entry Program (DEP) which is a program designed to give the recruit some time to get their life in order before going to boot camp. Travis describes his time in boot camp as ‘not an easy time’.

The training instructors tended to be harder on recruits who were over thirty years old.  Travis describes himself as a highly dedicated loyal American with a heart full of patriotism so even though boot camp was difficult, no one was going to stop him from reaching his goal to succeed.

Travis went into the Navy as a reservist, but right after graduation from hospital corps school he received THE letter from President Bush putting him on full active duty status. He was first stationed at Great Lakes in Illinois and then was stationed in Port Hueneme, California. He also spent time at Camp Pendleton and ended his military career at Point Mugu.  He was attached to shore duty hospitals and squadrons with service to the special E.O.D. (explosive ordinance disposal) unit.

He received three NAM’s (Navy Achievement Medal) awards.  Travis had a tough time finding work in California, Oregon and Washington six months prior to being released from active duty.  And after 8 years in the US Navy Travis was faced with a decision, re-enlist for another tour of duty or go to work for the brother of his Navy Chief, who was hauling crude oil in Williston, North Dakota.

The US Navy’s loss was the Bakken’s gain when Travis decided to take the job in the booming oil patch of North Dakota. He was honorably discharged as a Petty Officer Second Class (PO2).

Travis is the father to four sons: Brandon 22, Braydon 12, Tayln 5, Pacey 2, and he and his wife Michelle are currently expecting their first daughter in July. He moved to Williston in October of 2011. He and Michelle, who was pregnant with Pacey at the time of making the move to North Dakota, loaded up their fifth wheel and took Talyn and their dog on the 1,600 mile drive to Williston.

Travis worked for Montana Mid-West Trucking, which is a sub-contractor for Plains Oil. Their first winter in North Dakota was a tough one; his wife, Tayln, Pacey (Brandon and Braydon live in California) and a dog lived in a 31 foot fifth wheel in the harsh winter of the Midwest. Travis was determined to get his family in a house before the next winter. After working for Montana Mid-West Trucking, he received a job working at Jacam Chemicals hauling chemicals. He worked for Jacam for a little over a year.

Travis was not able to get his family into a home at the start of their second winter in Williston.  He had a house built and with Michelle expecting their newly expected edition he could not have picked a better time.

When asked what he loves best about living in Williston and North Dakota Travis said: “I love the cold and the snow. I also love the people. It is one of the few places left with old school thinking and privileged rights of American freedom” for which he fought while serving his country.

Travis misses the life of a surfer and his family in California, but he has found a new home working and living in the Bakken of Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana.

Travis is one very proud American who still listens to the National Anthem before work every morning and Taps before bedtime each night.

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Travis Cooksey and Marissa van der Valk were co-workers at Amgen, a pharmaceutical company, at their Thousand Oaks, CA headquarters.  Travis worked in the same laboratory with Marissa in which she performed DNA sequencing experiments for the Human Genome Project.  Marissa now lives in Basking Ridge, New Jersey and is the daughter of Bob van der Valk , the Senior Editor of the Bakken Oil Business Journal.

North Dakota Director’s Cut Newsletter – January 2014
NDIC Department of Mineral Resources – Lynn Helms

January 2014 – Total Crude Oil Production 28,926,977 barrels = 933,128 barrels/day.  The all-time high was 976,453 barrels in November 2013.

871,672 barrels per day or 93% were from Bakken and Three Forks Formations.
There are over 100 wells shut in for the Tioga gas plant conversion in an attempt to minimize flaring, but the biggest production impact story continues to be the weather. January temperatures were only 6 degrees below normal with only 3 days too cold for fracturing work, and there were no major snow events with 12 days of sustained wind chill speeds too high for well completion work.

Over 95% of drilling still targets the Bakken and Three Forks formations. At the end of January 2014 there were about 660 wells waiting on completion services, an increase of 25.

Crude oil take away capacity is expected remain adequate as long as rail deliveries to coastal refineries keep growing.

READ MORE.