North Dakota oil production rose slightly in July, stabilizing after a drop in the previous month to more than two-year lows, according to the latest data from the state’s Department of Mineral Resources. Crude production increased 0.2% to 1.03 million barrels a day in July, the most recent month for which data is available, the state said. That keeps output largely on par with June, when production fell to its lowest level since April 2014. North Dakota’s production is centered on the Bakken Shale formation, one of the world’s highest-cost old fields. With crude-oil prices mired below $50 a barrel, operators there and in other shale-oil plays have focused drilling on their most productive areas. Total production in North Dakota was 31.9 million barrels of oil in July, up from 30.8 million barrels in June, the state said. North Dakota’s active rig count—a barometer of future production—stands at 33 […]