North Dakota oil production exceeds 500,000 barrels daily

On January 17, 2012 — No comments

North Dakota oil drillers have surpassed a milestone of half a million barrels of oil a day, the state’s top oil regulator said last week.

State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said North Dakota now accounts for about 10 percent of total U.S. crude oil production, up from just 1 percent in 2007.

Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, which represents about 250 companies working in the oil patch in the western part of the state, called North Dakota’s meteoric oil production growth incredible and said it’s helping make the U.S. become less dependent on foreign oil.

The state Industrial Commission said crude production in November totaled 510,000 barrels a day, or about 150,000 more barrels than in November 2010. November statistics are the latest available because oil production numbers typically lag at least two months.

North Dakota produced a record 113 million barrels of oil in 2010; the state ended November with about 136 million barrels.

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