Among Top Oil U.S. Oil Producers, North Dakota’s Retreat Is Fastest

  • Date: 22-Jul-2020
  • Source: Forbes
  • Sector:Oil & Gas
  • Country:Gulf
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Among Top Oil U.S. Oil Producers, North Dakota’s Retreat Is Fastest

North Dakota produces more crude oil per capita than other any large oil-producing state in the country, including nearly 10 times more than Texas. So it seems unjust that its oil production has fallen further during the pandemic-driven oil rout than that of any other major oil producer. 



Between January and May North Dakota's crude oil production plummeted 40%, according to data released late last week by the state, outpacing the 10% overall decline in U.S. production over the same period.



The size of the drop in the state's production “” from 1.4 million barrels per day (b/d) at the start of the year to 860,000 b/d by May “” could exceed the oil production decline in Texas in both percentage terms and outright, even though Texas produces four times more oil.



This is "a five-alarm fire for North Dakota's oil and gas industry,“ said Lynn Helms, director of North Dakota's Mineral Resources department, which released the data. 







Fueled by the prolific Bakken shale basin in the state's northwest corner, North Dakota has ranked second only to Texas in oil production since roughly 2012. But it may have sunk back into third place behind New Mexico