Record oil production in North Dakota pushes Alaska to third place
In the league table of US States producing oil, North Dakota has climbed from 9th to 2nd position in just six years and now sits behind Texas (the ultimate leader by a long stretch), but now ahead of Alaska which along with other states including California and Louisiana have seen a decline in oil production over the past decade. Not only has the increased production raised the state’s population to an all time high but North Dakota currently also has the lowest unemployment level throughout the US.
North Dakota’s is drilling at record levels (17.8 million barrels in March 2012) with no foreseeable slow down in production.
“In 1999, we had zero rigs working and people left this industry for dead in North Dakota. Technology, geology, price and the business climate changed that.” said Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council.
The meteoric rise is partly attributed to the horizontal drilling techniques in the rich Bakken shale.
Still a way to go to reach Texas, but is oil now putting North Dakota back on the map ?
