North Dakota
Halt in drilling by one of North Dakota’s largest oil producers expected to bring layoffs
BISMARCK — A stop to oil drilling in North Dakota by one of the largest producers in the state will likely lead to layoffs but is “nothing new” to the industry, experts said.
Harold Hamm, founder of Continental Resources, said his company plans to
stop drilling in North Dakota’s Bakken formation for the first time in 30 years
because of low crude oil prices, according to a Monday, Jan. 19, report.
At a North Dakota Industrial Commission meeting the next day, Gov. Kelly Armstrong said people should understand that Continental is not pulling up stakes in North Dakota.
“To be clear, this isn’t the first time an oil company has laid down rigs on infield drilling locations when they’re at a break-even point. … This happens a lot,” Armstrong said.
Nathan Anderson, director of the state Department of Mineral Resources, said Continental plans to halt its three drilling rigs by the end of February.
“They would evaluate whether they pick up rigs after that, based on where oil production is and where the economics are,” Anderson said at the meeting.
The financial break-even point for oil is anywhere from $50 to $65 a barrel, he said.
WTI crude oil futures extended losses to $59 a barrel on Thursday, Jan. 22, amid mounting evidence of an oversupplied market, an industry publication reported.
Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, said operations will continue on the 20,000 producing wells in the state, and this development related to drilling new wells is “nothing new.”
“We’ve had a good run in North Dakota in the Bakken, and it’s going to go through commodity downturns like this. That’s where we’re at today, and it looks like we’re going to be here for a while, possibly,” he told The Forum.
North Dakota is a major player in the U.S. oil industry, ranking third only to Texas and New Mexico, according to industry statistics.
The state relies heavily on tax revenues from the sale of oil and gas to fund vital infrastructure and other projects, so downturns in the market could impact state budgets.
When oil prices and activity levels drop, North Dakota needs to budget accordingly, which was done during the last legislative session,
Anderson said in a previous interview.
Forum file photo
Continental has a big footprint in North Dakota, second only to Chord Energy, headquartered in Houston, the largest operator in the Bakken, Ness said.
Chord has not publicly indicated its plans, he said, while other large companies such as ConocoPhillips, Exxon and Devon Energy might be able to reduce but not halt drilling activity.
Public companies will likely make such announcements at quarterly investor meetings in early to mid-February, he said.
North Dakota is not alone, with all oil basins seeing reductions in activity. Ness said the Permian Basin in Texas, which produces more than 5 million barrels of oil a day, is looking at a 15% drilling reduction.
The state has weathered downturns before, in 2009 and 2015, and in 2020 at the start of COVID-19 pandemic.
Exploration and drilling of new wells, a massive investment for oil companies, is important to the industry because well outputs decline over time, Ness said.
There are about 30 rigs drilling new wells currently in the state, a number that will begin to decline in the weeks to come with Continental’s moves, and possible reductions by other companies.
“They’re just pacing their new investments for a while, until they feel that outlook is better. A lot of people don’t want that oil produced at $45 to $50. They feel that oil’s worth $75 to $90 a barrel. If you produce it, you’ve got to sell it,” he said.
Forum News Service file photo
While it still takes tens of thousands of people to produce North Dakota’s typical 1.1 million barrels of oil each day, the exploration and drilling side of the industry employs the highest number of people, Ness said.
That workforce tends to be more transient, coming from all over the country and the world, he said, and is where there will likely be layoffs or consolidations, impacts that could be felt by March.
“It certainly is, hopefully, just a short term ramification of news like this,” he said.
North Dakota
Runners will soon trek across North Dakota to bring awareness for families grieving the loss of a child – KVRR Local News
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — For more than 400 miles, 12 runners will trek across North Dakota to carry the stories of love, loss, and resilience from community to community.
“After having run Haven since 2017, the 10.15 Project came, and it just is so exciting because it’s really looking at pregnancy and infant loss and putting it in a new light. And really giving people the opportunity to do something that you can see and it’s meaningful,” said Jen Burgard, Founder and Executive Director of Haven.
The 10.15 Project was co-founded by Haven, an organization that supports grieving families. The relay begins on International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. And during the four days, the team hopes to bring awareness to families.
“It gives you pieces of solitude, of quiet, of reflection, and also a purpose. It gives you meaning, and I think endurance is one of the biggest pieces of this. It’s the endurance required to navigate pregnancy and infant loss is extreme. And I think this really mirrors that,” said Burgard.
While many of the runners come from different fields, many have also experienced a loss themselves.
“When it happened in my family, it was kind of something we were all struck by. You realize how common it is. And you know, I want to bring light to that,” said Ty Casey, Runner and Learning and Development Specialist at TrueNorth Steel.
Casey has multiple runs planned over the next few months, but with this run in particular, he hopes this will bring awareness.
“If this is one thing that can help bring light to it and help people be more open and help people to talk about it, and take some of the grief away that would be totally ideal for us just to help out a little bit,” said Casey.
The relay begins on October 15 in Medora and will end on October 18th in Fargo.
Spring Fever
District Game Warden Sam Feldmann
As winter begins to fade and ice fishing begins to slow, everyone gets the itch to be outside on nice days when it’s warming and the sun is shining. People are beginning to think about their garden or outdoor projects around the house they have been pondering all winter.
While others have been thinking about open water fishing, getting the boat ready, hitting the field to look for shed antlers in a favorite spot they’ve been watching deer all winter, or slipping into the field to lure a spring gobbler into shotgun range with a new call they’ve been practicing with all winter.
With the excitement of warm weather and getting out to enjoy everything a spring day has to offer, I would like to remind everyone of a few things while enjoying what North Dakota has to offer.
This year is a registration year for all motorized watercrafts. This doesn’t just mean you have to renew your registration. It means that when you get the new red stickers sporting “28” on them that they must be affixed to both sides of the bow of the boat.
Another reminder is that if you are going shed hunting, there are a few things to remember. Shed antlers are legal to possess. This time of year, our officers receive lots of calls about shed hunters locating “dead heads,” which are animals that have died and the antlers are still attached to the skull plate.
If you happen to locate a dead head, you cannot possess it without contacting your local game warden and receiving a permit for the animal. Also, if you are going to shed hunt on posted private property or a Private Lands Opens To Sportsmen tract, you need to obtain permission to do so. Wildlife management areas and other state and federal lands are open to shed hunting, but a good rule of thumb is to check the regulations on public property before heading out.
If you are going to be chasing turkeys this spring through the timber, there are a few things that should be remembered. Make sure you have your tag with you when you are in the field. Remember that your tag is only legal for one bearded wild turkey. If you are lucky enough to harvest a turkey you fooled into coming to your calling and decoy, you must tag it before doing anything else.
One last reminder for the spring activities. Remember that all licenses, whether it’s a hunting license or fishing license, expired March 31 and needed to be renewed as of April 1, 2026
With these few reminders out of the way, remember to have fun and enjoy what the great state of North Dakota has to offer.
MANDAN, N.D. (KVRR-KFGO) – Former North Dakota Game & Fish Director Terry Steinwand has been charged with molesting a child.
The Class “A” misdemeanor was filed after a Morton County District Court judge rejected a proposed plea agreement to a felony charge and prosecutors dismissed the charge while retaining the right to file an amended charge.
Steinwand is from Mandan. The 72-year-old is now charged with one count of sexual assault-offensive contact. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
Steinwand was originally charged in September, 2025, when police say he admitted to sexual misconduct.
Steinwand worked for the Game & Fish Dept. for 40 years. He led the agency for about 15 years and retired in 2021.
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