North Dakota: State will face infrastructure challenges for oil drilling in next decade

(Bismarck, ND) -- North Dakota is set to reach five billion barrels of oil drilled within the next month or so.  

The State Department of Mineral Resources says building infrastructure for carbon dioxide will be the biggest factor in increasing the totals. When oil is produced, gas is created as a byproduct which is either flared or captured and transported through pipelines.  

As more oil is produced from wells farther out from the core of the Bakken, statistics from the North Dakota Pipeline Authority estimate existing pipelines will have to be capped before the end of the decade, meaning oil production will decrease.