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Bakken Shale & Three Forks

Bakken Shale & Three Forks News

Why $90 Oil Isn’t Bringing Back the Rigs

Why $90 Oil Isn’t Bringing Back the Rigs

Higher oil prices are not translating cleanly into a drilling response across U.S. shale, and company disclosures are starting to show why. The issue is not simply capital…

Q1 A&D Transactions Jump to $30B , While Deal Flow Was Down 40%

Q1 A&D Transactions Jump to $30B , While Deal Flow Was Down 40%

The first quarter of 2026 has officially defined the "Barbell Era" of American oil and gas. While the total number of deals plummeted by 46% YoY (dropping to…

Wright to U.S. Oil Industry: The Price Signal Is Telling You to Drill

Wright to U.S. Oil Industry: The Price Signal Is Telling You to Drill

Energy Secretary Chris Wright stood in front of the largest gathering of oil executives in the world this morning and delivered a message that was equal parts market…

This Operator Will Chop it's 2026 Rig Count From 34 to 24

This Operator Will Chop it's 2026 Rig Count From 34 to 24

ConocoPhillips is setting up 2026 as a lower-intensity, more efficient operating year — with the clearest proof coming from the Lower 48 activity reset following the Marathon integration.…

Bakken Midstream Project shelved; as future growth projects thin

Bakken Midstream Project shelved; as future growth projects thin

Hess Midstream highlighted continued throughput growth across its Williston Basin (Bakken/Three Forks) systems, signaling higher utilization in gas gathering and processing. For producers, the only forward-looking capacity signal…

Dallas Fed Energy Survey: What Oil and Gas Executives Are Really Saying

Dallas Fed Energy Survey: What Oil and Gas Executives Are Really Saying

The latest Dallas Fed Energy Survey shows a U.S. oil and gas industry that is not collapsing—but is clearly constrained. Executives are operating in a defensive posture, focused…

Large E&P Adds Second Completions Crew and Accelerates 4-Mile Lateral Program

Large E&P Adds Second Completions Crew and Accelerates 4-Mile Lateral Program

Chord Energy extended its 2025 execution streak in 3Q25, delivering oil volumes above the midpoint of guidance while keeping E&P and other capital spending below the midpoint. The…

Viper Energy Divests Non-Permian Mineral & Royalty Portfolio to Warwick Capital and GRP Energy for $617MM

Premium content Viper Energy Divests Non-Permian Mineral & Royalty Portfolio to Warwick Capital and GRP Energy for $617MM

Viper Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: VNOM), a subsidiary of Diamondback Energy, announced the divestiture of its non-Permian mineral and royalty interests to Warwick Capital Partners and GRP Energy Capital…

Why Surface-Only Inventory Predictions Are a Fool’s Errand

Why Surface-Only Inventory Predictions Are a Fool’s Errand

Introduction The promise is seductive: a map covered in potential drill spots, colored by predicted “rock quality,” with hundreds or thousands of “remaining locations.” Many oil & gas…

Chord Energy to Acquire XTO Williston Basin Assets for $550MM

Chord Energy to Acquire XTO Williston Basin Assets for $550MM

Chord Energy (NASDAQ: CHRD) announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire core Williston Basin assets from XTO Energy (Exxon Mobil subsidiaries) for $550 million cash, subject…

Bakken Shale & Three Forks Well Completion Trend

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Bakken Shale & Three Forks Rig Data: August 24, 2026

Bakken Shale & Three Forks Overview

The Bakken shale and underlying Three Forks formation are part of the larger Williston Basin, which encompasses Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota. Bakken producing zones are mainly present in Western North Dakota, Southern Saskatchewan, and Eastern Montana.

The Bakken shale is one of the largest (possibly the largest) continuous oil accumulations in the world.  It is an over pressured system which is in part responsible for high IP rates. The high pressure in the formation suggests that the…

Bakken Shale & Three Forks Mergers & Acquisitions

Bakken Shale & Three Forks Transactions By Quarter ($MM)