It has been mentioned often that the mining of tar sands in Alberta, Canada can be seen from space. Recent composite images from the Air Force’s Meteorological Satellite, brought to our attention by the great work at Skytruth.org, show another new form of North American oil production and its extensive reach and impact.
The red area in the image is the lights and gas flares from tight oil drilling in North Dakota, Montana and over the border in Canada. This was taken in 2010 when the tight oil boom had just gotten into full swing with production in North Dakota reaching 345,000 barrels per day at the end of the year. In January 2012, production there topped 545,000 b/d. The Energy Information Agency expects it to reach 750,000 b/d by 2015. READ MORE
