North Dakota

The North Dakota Tribal College System (NDTCS) is partnering with three leading oil and gas companies on an apprenticeship program to develop a homegrown workforce in the energy sector and other trades. Persistent labor shortages have plagued the Williston Basin, home to the mighty Bakken Shale, one of the Lower 48’s major oil and gas…

North Dakota posted a 1.5% month/month increase in natural gas production and a record high volume of gas captured in July, despite a 2.5% decline in oil output.  Natural gas production averaged 3.1 Bcf/d, of which 3 Bcf/d or 94% was captured and sent to market while the remaining 6% was flared off, according to…

Natural gas production in North Dakota swelled by 9.7% in June versus May to 3.06 Bcf/d, while oil production rose 3.5% to 1.1 million b/d, according to the latest figures from the North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC). The increases reflect a full recovery from disruptions caused by April snowstorms, as well as strong market fundamentals…

Active drilling rigs, hydraulic fracturing crews and drilling permits all are creeping upward in North Dakota, though workforce challenges remain a hindrance to faster growth, the state’s top oil regulator said Tuesday (July 19). North Dakota had 42 active rigs as of Tuesday (July 19), which also was the monthly average for June. This is…

An affiliate of Haymaker Minerals & Royalties III has closed a deal to acquire mineral and royalty interests in “thousands of wells” across 30 counties and parishes in Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota and Texas. “This acquisition fits perfectly within the Haymaker strategy of acquiring diversified mineral portfolios valued at greater than $100 million,” said Haymaker’s…

News that Continental Resources Inc. may be taken private should come as no surprise, according to North Dakota’s top oil and gas regulator. Continental is the largest producer in the oily Bakken Shale, which accounts for 96% of the state’s production. Executive Chairman Harold Hamm announced he is seeking to purchase all outstanding shares in…

The North Dakota Industrial Commission has extended until Aug. 15 the deadline to submit proposals for a natural gas pipeline connecting the western and eastern portions of the state. The state legislature in 2021 approved $150 million in grants to fund the project, stipulating that $10 million of the total must be used for a…

The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to hold a lease sale on June 28 for 23 federally owned parcels spanning nearly 3,406 acres in Montana and North Dakota. The sale notice issued by BLM’s Montana/Dakotas state office is part of a larger plan announced at the federal level to…

Empire Petroleum Corp. has boosted its holdings in North Dakota by expanding its existing interests in the Williston Basin and entering a play in the Birdbear formation. The Tulsa-based exploration and production company completed acquisitions earlier this month from an undisclosed firm for an undisclosed price. The deal could increase Empire’s net production in North…