North Dakota , home to the Bakken shale formation, became the fourth state in U.S. history to produce more than 1 million barrels of oil a day in April. Output increased by 2.5 percent from March to 1,001,149 barrels a day, the state’s Department of Mineral Resources reported today. Texas, California and Alaska have crossed the million-barrel mark. Only Texas remains above it, at almost 3 million barrels a day. Production will increase through the summer as better weather allows crews to finish more wells, Lynn Helms, the department’s director, said during a conference call with reporters today. “Permitting and drilling activity indicates that we’ll continue to see production grow and build well above 1 million barrels a day,” he said. Oil and gas from the Bakken and other shale formations helped the U.S. produce the equivalent of 87 percent of its energy needs in 2013, the highest level […]