Billions of Barrels Under the Bakken Shale : Red, Green, and Blue

A new report from the U.S. Geological Survey shows billions of barrels of retrievable oil beneath the Bakken Shale Formation which covers a large area from the Canadian border, down into North Dakota and Montana. A Reuters UK report states:

The Bakken Shale, comprised of thin layers of rock about two miles down, holds about 3.65 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil, the USGS said. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska could hold more than 10 billion barrels of oil.

Although ANWR is currently federally protected land, there are already companies retrieving the oil from the Bakken Shale. The current survey from the USGS, completed at the request of Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., is viewed as good news according to a statement in the Fox News story. This is due to the 25% increase in this estimate of retrievable oil over previous estimates in years past. Senator Dorgan believes this will bring “significant new investment” into the area.

As a proponent of energy independence, I am in favor of acquiring our own oil as part of that goal. However, the focus of energy independence cannot entirely rest on obtaining our own oil for the purpose of supplying our massive oil consumption habits. That is where this type of discovery is alarming. Pursuit of this resource can be a positive thing if environmental protection policies are adhered to during the retrieving process, coupled with continued efforts in pursuing alternate renewable sources of energy.

Billions of Barrels Under the Bakken Shale : Red, Green, and Blue

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