Amber waves of grain still dominate much of the rural landscape in North Dakota, a state long known for the production of wheat, corn, soybeans, and barley. But in certain regions, oil rigs are now as likely to dot the horizon as silos, and barrels have become as much a standard measu

Bakken DDS shows the extent of shale drilling in the state. Surging Oil Production North Dakota is the nation’s second largest oil-producing state, playing second fiddle only to Texas after surpassing Alaska and California in early 2012 due to its surge in shale production.  To put th

As the domestic energy industry races to become self-sufficient – if not emerge eventually as a global titan, at least in the natural gas realm – one segment that’s been a straggler is finally stepping up.  That’s refining. America’s refineries provide fu

With the possible exception of some staunch gambling opponents, most people would bet on a 400-to-1 favorite. Those odds represent the upside of continued US shale development, says a group of Yale economics grads who set out in 2011 to quantify how much the nation was gaining from sh