North Dakota's oil production unexpectedly fell 2.5% in July due to a dearth of new wells coming online.
"It was a surprise to myself and to my staff," Lynn Helms, North Dakota's mineral resources director, told reporters Thursday. "We were anticipating a slight increase."
North Dakota, the nation's third largest oil-producing state, pumped out 1.07 million barrels per day in July, down from 1.1 million the previous month. Natural gas production, however, increased 1.3% to 3.1 million MCF. (An MCF is 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas.)
