BAKKEN FLARING IN FOCUS: A CLOSE LOOK AT NATURAL GAS FLARING IN NORTH DAKOTA

In 2013, the oil and gas industry in the Bakken formation of North Dakota flared 32% of all produced gas. Analysis shows that 57% of statewide flaring occurred at wells already connected to gathering pipelines, and the majority of flaring (72%) took place on private or state-owned land. While flaring rates were higher on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation (46%) compared to the statewide average, rates on Federal public lands were slightly lower than those on private or state land.

• In 2013, the industry in the Bakken formation flared 32% of all produced natural gas.
• A majority of flaring in 2013 (72%) occurred on private or state-owned land, and flaring rates on Federal public lands were not higher than those on private or state land.
• More than half of the flaring statewide (57%) came from wells that were already connected to natural gas gathering pipelines.
• Flaring rates varied by specific land designation: the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation had a flaring rate of 46%, which was higher than the statewide average, while other Federal land had a rate of 27%.
• Flaring at pipeline-connected wells is attributed to insufficient gathering and processing infrastructure—such as pipelines, processing plants, and compressors—or a failure to reach sales agreements with midstream gas processing companies.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2014). BAKKEN FLARING IN FOCUS: A CLOSE LOOK AT NATURAL GAS FLARING IN NORTH DAKOTA. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093440/20130619-ND-Flaring-Fact-Sheet_2013.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. BAKKEN FLARING IN FOCUS: A CLOSE LOOK AT NATURAL GAS FLARING IN NORTH DAKOTA. 2014. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093440/20130619-ND-Flaring-Fact-Sheet_2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=BAKKEN FLARING IN FOCUS: A CLOSE LOOK AT NATURAL GAS FLARING IN NORTH DAKOTA |date=June 2014 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093440/20130619-ND-Flaring-Fact-Sheet_2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2014bakken, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{BAKKEN FLARING IN FOCUS: A CLOSE LOOK AT NATURAL GAS FLARING IN NORTH DAKOTA}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2014}, month = jun, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093440/20130619-ND-Flaring-Fact-Sheet_2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }