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The article discusses the oil industry as of April 2012 and examines the environmental impact of several extreme oil drilling practices, including deep water drilling in the Arctic Ocean, oil sands in Canada, and fracking in the U.S. It states that the demand for oil continues to increase and is expected to reach 800,000 barrels per day in 2012. The rich shale oil deposits being explored in the Bakken formation in South Dakota are mentioned. The emergence of Brazil as an oil-producing partner for the U.S. is examined in light of the instability in the Middle East oil markets. Several charts and diagrams are presented, including a graph which shows oil barrel prices from 1870 through 2011.

The article focuses on Harold Hamm, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the petroleum company Continental Resources. Information is provided on how Hamm purchased the Bakken, the largest shale formation in the U.S. after Prudhoe Bay in Alaska. The article notes how Hamm plans to extract petroleum from the shale deposits which span across North Dakota and how his discovery has increased petroleum prospecting in the U.S.

The article offers information on the oil field of Williston basin which attracted oil companies due to large production capacity. It states that western North Dakota region of Bakken formation has produced 76 percent of the total oil production in 2010. It further informs that the pipeline capacity of this region is insufficient which ultimately causes pressure on rail lines to transport oil in the market. It also states that several companies have rigging plans in the Williston basin.

The article looks at U.S.-based petroleum company Hess Corp., as of December 2013. It describes the strategic plan the company has been pursuing, saying it has sold many assets, including overseas petroleum resources and adjunct businesses such as refineries, and is focusing on exploration and production of shale oil and gas in the U.S. Topics include the company's history and trends in its revenues and stock price.

The article discusses the impact of the U.S. oil-and-gas boom on Washington. While there are no active oil or gas exploration wells in Washington, state refiners spend millions of dollars to expand capacity to handle unit trains bringing crude oil from the Bakken Formation which underlie parts of Montana, North Dakota and Saskatchewan. It claims that local firms are making the tools, equipment and supplies for oil and gas exploration and production in Alaska, North Dakota and other states.

The article discusses the claim by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Bakken formation in North Dakota and Montana contains around 3-4.3 billion bbl of undiscovered, recoverable oil. This is bigger than all other current USGS oil assessments of the Lower 48 states. It is also the biggest continuous oil accumulation ever assessed by the USGS.

The article discusses the growth of the community banking industry in North Dakota as a result of an increase in the state's oil drilling and production capabilities in 2012, including information on the several concerns raised by large baking companies such as Wells Fargo & Co. An increase in demand in North Dakota's housing market is also addressed, along with information on oil exploration in the Bakken formation in the state.