Oil is nearly $100 a barrel. Don’t expect North Dakota oil activity to ramp up any time soon

A gas flare burns in front of an oil pumpjack near Killdeer, North Dakota, on Feb. 1, 2024. copy.jpg
A gas flare burns in front of an oil pumpjack near Killdeer, North Dakota, on Feb. 1, 2024. copy.jpg

North Dakota’s oil and gas industry is not expected to significantly increase drilling activity in response to the price surge, a stark departure from the familiar boomand-bust cycle in the Bakken. Domestic crude oil pricing benchmarks have been hovering just shy of $100 per barrel. A decade ago that would have prompted a scramble to drill new wells. Instead, activity levels in North Dakota are vi…