Bakken Shale Production Dips Below 1 Million Barrels per Day

October 18, 2016 Elizabeth Alford

Oil production for the Bakken Shale Play dipped below 1 million barrels a day for the first time since 2014.

The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) for ND released August production data for the Bakken and North Dakota, revealing a significant drop in production. Bakken production was down 46,433 barrels per day to 930, 931. For North Dakota, the agency reports an average of 981,039 barrels of oil daily in August, down from 1.029 million barrels of oil daily in July.

The Director of DMR, Jesse Helms, expects the states oil production will continue to decrease over the coming months and will likely level off at 900,000 barrels per day.

““This is a day we had been anticipating but not looking forward to,” said Director Lynn Helms.”

— Lynn Helms, Director of ND Department of Mineral Resources

North Dakota also produced 1.64 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in August, down from 1.69 billion cubic feet daily in July.

The state hit the 1,184,635 b/d mark for oil in September 2014, setting a new record. That's 50,000 more b/d than the previous month. At the same time, they also had record monthly gas production (1,403,448 mcf/d), and reported the highest number of producing wells to date (11,741).

As of last week, the Bakken-Three Forks rig count remains unmoved for the third straight week, with Baker Hughes reporting 30 rigs running across our coverage area by midday Friday.

SM Energy to Sell 54,500 Bakken Acres

October 4, 2016 Elizabeth Alford

SM Energy Company announced today that they are exploring the sale of certain Bakken assets in the Williston Basin.

SM Energy has hired Petrie Partners to explore the sale as part of a strategy to change focus to its 'Tier 1' assets in the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas. The sale will include approximately 54,500 net acres consisting of the Raven/Bear Den acreage and effectively all lease-holdings in the basin outside of the Company’s Divide County program in North Dakota.

“As part of this strategy, we are continuing to core up our portfolio,such that we can concentrate investment dollars in the highest return programs and bring that value forward through accelerated activity.”

— CEO Jay Ottoson

For the second quarter of 2016, SM Energy reported Bakken production of 2.6 MMBoe and completion of 17 gross/14 net wells.

North Dakota Tribes Try to Halt a Second Pipeline

September 27, 2016 Elizabeth Alford

Three American Indian Tribes have asked a federal appeals court to uphold their mineral rights under Lake Sakakawea that are in jeopardy from a pipeline project.

Last week, a judge granted Paradigm Energy Partners permission to temporarily continue construction on the Sacagawea pipeline, while the situation is under investigation. Last month the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation demanded that work be halted because the company could not promise that their water supplies would remain safe.

This tense situation is the second project this month in North Dakota that is being challenged by native tribes. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe have been protesting construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline about 150 miles away. Those protest made national headlines as they became violent as tribal leaders feared the pipeline threatened the tribe's main water source.

Paradigm Energy Partners told ABC News that their oil pipeline project already is complete and the company is looking to complete its $16.6 million gas pipeline by November 1st.

Violence Erupts at Pipeline Protest

September 6, 2016 Elizabeth Alford

Construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline has come to a halt as demonstrations turn violent over the holiday weekend.

What had been peaceful protests in the small town of Cannonball Dakota turned ugly after the pipeline company allegedly used bulldozers to destroy sacred tribal sites. Things escalated with guards using pepper spray and dogs to curb the situation.

Tribe spokesman Steve Sitting Bear told CBS news that six people had been bitten by dogs, including children. The oil company accused protesters of escalating the situation by breaking through a fence an attacking workers.

On Tuesday, U.S. Judge James Boasberg granted part of a temporary restraining order effectively halted work for the time being.

Demonstrators are concerned about the environmental impact of the pipeline, including contamination of the Missouri River, which is the primary water source for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Tribal leaders are also upset that the pipeline will disturb sacred burial grounds.

“I confronted the man that pepper sprayed me and I said, ‘Did you know you just pepper sprayed a pregnant woman?.’ In the native culture, the pregnant women are held sacred, so to do that against our women and to a woman that is pregnant, that should tell you what kind of character they have. I am a mother. I am protecting another mother. I am fighting for another mother and her children and that’s mother earth.”

— Trisha Etringer to SiouxLandMatters.com

When complete, the 1,172 mile pipeline willconnect the Bakken and Three Forks production area to Illinois and will transport approximately 470,000 barrels of crude per day.

Energy Transfer Partners Sell Part of Dakota Pipeline

August 30, 2016 Elizabeth Alford

Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. will sell 36.75% of the Bakken Pipeline Project to Marathon and Enbridge.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation and Canada based Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. will purchase a minority share of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and the Energy Transfer Crude Oil Pipeline through its jointly-owned MarEn Bakken.

The $2 billion deal is expected to close in the third quarter of the year. When complete, Energy Transfer and Sunoco will own 38.25% of the DAPL and Phillips 66 will continue to own 25%.

Just last week North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple took action against the mounting protests in his state over the pipeline by issuing an emergency declaration for southwest and south central North Dakota. Demonstrators are concerned over the proposed 1,172-mile pipeline designed to connect the Bakken and Three Forks production areas to Patoka, Illinois, transporting approximately 470,000 barrels of crude per day.

Concerns range from how the pipeline will degrade topsoil to contamination of the river, which is primary source of water for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Supporters believe that more pipelines are needed in order to reduce the high use of rail and truck transportation to move the highly flammable Bakken crude oil.