Stop the Presses! 200 Active Drilling Rigs

Dynamic link here.

The Williston Herald has a special story on this milestone in their Sunday edition.

Williston is home to more than 350 oil industry service companies, the impacts of the state's oil industry have grown with production.

North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness said the state has come a long way since 2001, when the state had approximately 15 rigs operating.

Data points:

• Most of the 200 rigs are in four counties: Williams, McKenzie, Mountrail, and Dunn.  (Reminder: tax receipts for Williams County exceeded those of Cass County, home of Fargo, North Dakota. I assume the spread will widen in 2011; Fargo should stay about flat; Williams County should increase significantly.)
• McKenzie County: 52 rigs
• Williams: 44
• Mountrail: 36
• Dunn: 34

Flashback: Lynn Helms back on December 26, 2011:

Lynn Helms, director of the Department of Mineral Resources, said he expects 2,000 new Bakken-Three Forks wells will be drilled in 2011.

That number will more than double the new wells drilled this year and is the same as the number of all Bakken wells ever drilled.

“It’s going to be big, bigger than anything we've had yet,” said Helms.

I have a lot of respect for the job the NDIC is doing.