A combination of low oil prices and tumbling rig counts is assisting North Dakota operators in complying with a state mandate to reduce flaring of associated natural gas production, the state’s top oil and gas official said Friday. “It has helped,” said Lynn Helms, director of North Dakota’s Department of Mineral Resources. “It has given companies some breathing room to be able to achieve gas capture goals more easily.” On Friday, Helms announced that oil and gas production had reached an all-time high in North Dakota in December, climbing to nearly 1.23 million b/d and 1.51 Bcf/d, respectively. But the pace of production growth has slowed and will likely flatten in 2015 due to low oil and gas prices and falling rig counts, Helms said. The state’s rig count fell to 137 on Friday, its lowest level since July 2010 and a 37% drop […]