For Newbies: A Nice Overview of the Bakken -- E&P Magazine

E & P Magazine provided a nice overview/history of the Williston Basin Bakken in its March 1, 2013, issue.

It begins:

In less than a decade, increased production, takeaway capacities, and operator effort in the Bakken have bumped North Dakota up in the rankings to become the second leading state in crude oil production.

In his 2005 State of the State address, US Senator John Hoeven, then North Dakota governor, said the state’s “single greatest challenge is the ability to move power to markets outside of North Dakota.” Although at the time he was referring to the state’s abundance of coal and wind energy and the creation of a transmission agency to manage the use of both, it was in some ways prophetic.

It's a great overview; recommended reading.