3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Oil USA’s Bakken Formation

Scott and I lived right there in Williston, ND, for 15 years. The oil’s always been there, but fracking (hydrolic fracturing) just wasn’t cost-effective until the price of oil reached its highs. They say it’s the largest oil discovery in North America in 40 years. We had to return there last year, after having been away over 10 years, to pick up our antiques from long-term storage. I hardly recognized the town. It was impossible to get hotel rooms – all hotels have contracts with the oil co’s, and rooms are rarely available. “Man camps” are everywhere. Men outnumber women 10 to 1. The town is crippled by its traffic, with semi’s and oil trucks trying to make their way through town. The housing prices are through the roof, and jobs are plentiful. There’s just no place to live, unless you want to sleep in your car. But, with winter’s like Siberia, you’d never survive. We had planned to visit, but left immediately after we finished loading the truck.