The Bakken Helps US Move Past Russia To Become World's #1 Producer Of Oil And Gas

Headlines from The Williston Wire. No links. It is easy to subscribe to The Williston Wire.

The U.S. will end 2013 as the world's largest producer of petroleum and natural gas, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia, the Energy Information Administration said recently.  The EIA estimated combined U.S. petroleum and gas production this year will hit 50 quadrillion British thermal units, or 25 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, outproducing Russia by 5 quadrillion Btu.  Petroleum production includes crude oil, natural gas liquids, condensates, and biofuels.  U.S. and Russian energy production over the past two years have been roughly equivalent. Since 2008, U.S. petroleum production has increased 7 quadrillion Btu, with "dramatic" growth in Texas and North Dakota, the EIA said.

*********************

North Dakota struggles to keep up with oil industry; receives little help from Washington.

*********************

Mercy's Cancer Treatment Center celebrates grand opening. Something tells me the grand opening went better than ObamaCare's opening day with the on-line exchanges.

*********************

Fargo Jet Center, North Dakota's largest provider of aviation services, announced recently a joint venture with Denver, CO based Ross Aviation and Williston, ND based Overland Aviation.  "Plans are underway for improving the existing facilities to accommodate the growth Williston has realized over the past couple of years," said Jim Sweeney, President of the newly formed Williston Jet Center.

*********************

Two women-run coffee stands have attention-getting names, especially in this male-dominated oil boomtown. While one business, C Cups Espresso, is risqué in name only, competitor Boomtown Babes Espresso features sexy baristas and provocative humor. Both coffee stands have a steady stream of customers keeping the owners happy about their decisions to move across the country to start their first businesses.

*********************

Given his penchant for industrial settings, the Bakken oil patch served as an interesting subject - its gas flares and the endless nodding of its oil wells.  Yet Alan McQuillan, a London-born photographer, did not think such industrial sprawl would earn him first place in a coveted international photography competition.  Nevertheless, the Missoula resident rather pleased with his photos' top-notch showing.

*********************

This collection of aerial images shows the start of a transformation of the North Dakota landscape as dramatic production is realized from the Bakken oil formation.  Trucks haul water for fracking; facilities for loading the oil onto rail cars are under construction from Trenton to Dickinson; tiny towns like Alexander and Watford City see heavy traffic and new construction as companies build the necessary infrastructure to handle the influx of workers.