The insanity continues in the North Dakota Bakken, as the shale industry is flaring nearly 20% of its natural gas production. That is one hell of a lot of natural gas production that is simply being burned away. So, how much natural gas is being flared? Quite a bit when we compare it to the consumption of a typical household. First, let’s look at the amount of natural gas production that is sold versus what is being flared in the Bakken. According to the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, the Bakken sold 73.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas in October while it flared 15.7 Bcf. Thus, 18% of total natural gas production from the Bakken was flared into thin air. Furthermore, the amount of natural gas flaring in the Bakken has increased 241% over the past four years. In October 2015, the North Dakota Bakken flared […]