North Dakota has experienced tremendous growth in oil and natural gas production in the past decade, in particular with development in the Bakken and Three Forks Shale formations. Continued access to energy-rich deposits and production technologies in these areas will enable North Dakota to grow the jobs, revenue and energy America needs to boost our economy and energy security.
North Dakota is a model for job creation, with the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, thanks largely to a vibrant and productive oil-producing economy that makes it the 4th largest oil producing state.
Hydraulic fracturing, combined with horizontal drilling, has led to North Dakota's explosion in oil and natural gas development in the Bakken Shale. These technologies have allowed engineers to extract billions of barrels oil and billions of cubic feet of natural gas that were trapped thousands of feet beneath the surface, and will continue to do so for years.
Increasing access to domestic sources of oil and natural gas is critical to putting our nation on the road to economic recovery and to meeting the energy needs of American consumers.
