releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=2A005F2E-6D65-49D0-8C4D-2503CAC86FA1
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=2A005F2E-6D65-49D0-8C4D-2503CAC86FA1 | Heitkamp Successfully Presses USGS to Conduct New Study of Oil & Gas in Bakken Region | 2017-12-11 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today said that a decision by U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) to conduct an updated assessment of oil and gas resources in the Bakken Formation and Three Forks Formation is a needed step, which comes after she pressed USGS to take such action. Last week, Heitkamp called on USGS Acting Director William Werkheiser to conduct a more updated assessment of the region as the last assessment was completed in 2013. Until the decision by USGS today, the next assessment wasn’t supposed to take place until 2020. Heitkamp made the case that USGS should conduct an assessment sooner than 2020 because past assessments reinforced that dramatically more oil and natural gas were available at the time because of updated technologies. “After pressing USGS to move up its timeline, it’s encouraging the agency is going to conduct a new assessment of oil and natural gas in the western part of the state sooner than it had planned,” said Heitkamp. “The most recent USGS survey of the Bakken region in 2013 more than doubled the estimated mean resources for technically recoverable oil and natural gas. And just in the past four years since then, our state has continued to be at the forefront of the development of innovative energy technologies, and it’s likely such a survey will show even more recoverable oil and natural gas is available in the region. A new USGS survey will help provide more updated data so our state can continue to lead in energy development, investment, and innovation.” The most recent USGS survey of the Bakken region in 2013 more than doubled the estimated mean resources for technically recoverable oil to 7.38 billion barrels, which included an estimated 6.7 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. Since mid-2014, in part because of the drop in the price of oil, the industry has been particularly innovative with its development and production to stay competitive, which has led to lower costs and more extraction. Click here to read the letter Heitkamp sent to USGS on December 8. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |