Ness: New Production Record Firmly Establishes North Dakota as an Energy Leader

BISMARCK, N.D. – Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council (NDPC), welcomed today’s Director’s Cut report announcing North Dakota has reached a new production record, surpassing its previous all-time high set in December of 2014.

“The Bakken is undisputedly a world-class resource that is providing a secure and reliable energy resource for our nation,” said Ness. “Even through the downturn, the Bakken continued to produce at levels far above most in the nation and even the world. The Bakken may have been down, but it was never out, and today’s announcement proves that.”

In fact, North Dakota continues to be one of only 10 oilfields in the world ever to produce more than a million barrels per day, said Ness.

“Even in the downturn when nay-sayers talked of a bust, North Dakota’s production only dipped below 1 million barrels four times, each of which occurred during a particularly difficult winter. It really was the industry and their innovation and efforts to become more efficient that kept the Bakken going and actually become even stronger. This has been to the benefit of our state economy, salaries and wages, and our national energy security,” he said.

Ness expects Bakken production to increase in the coming months, citing several Bakken CEOs’ optimism for the future of the Bakken. Several spoke at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference held in May and said their companies planned to continue and even increase investment in the state.

“The Bakken was down, but never out,” said Ness. “This is a clear signal that this is the place to be. Our next challenge is to continue building infrastructure and attracting a skilled and workforce to continue growing this great resource.”

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