The Bakken oil fields in North Dakota are releasing so much gas that, according to The Financial Times, oil companies at the heart of the US shale oil boom are burning off enough gas to power all the homes in Chicago and Washington combined. In the photo from space at the bottom of this post, the bright lights from the middle of North Dakota looks like a city, one that would be bigger than the Twin Cities next door. In reality, the view is of the gas flaring taking place as companies burn off excess gas produced from pumping oil.
Increased oil production is taking place across the U.S. but especially in North Dakota and Texas. The World Bank, which has a Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership, estimates that the volume of gas flared in the U.S. has tripled from 5 years ago. The U.S. is now the fifth biggest gas flaring country in the world, only after Russia, Nigeria, Iran and Iraq. Gas released from oil production is often handled by burning – or gas flaring – as that is one of the safest ways to dispose of it. Of course, pipelines and tanks could be built to store and transport the gas by-product but low natural gas prices are making it uneconomical to build such infrastructure. This is one of the many side-effects of cheaper and more plentiful oil production at home. It’s pretty much a damned if you do, damned if you don’t scenario when it comes to a lot of energy production. There are pros and cons to all projects and all the various ways to generate energy. In this case, the U.S. gets to reduce its oil dependence on foreign sources of oil, but produces more pollution at home.
In order to reduce gas flaring, the North Dakota legislature is considering legislation to give tax breaks to companies that capture the excess gas. In the meantime, North Dakota will continue to light up the night sky.
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