ABOUT





is a grassroots group of citizens concerned about oil and natural gas extraction in North Dakota. We come from all walks of life and bring a variety of perspectives and experiences.

Some  Bakken Watchers Are:

• Living near oil and gas drilling sites;
• Not in favor of current methods used to extract oil and gas in North Dakota, particularly hydraulic fracturing ("fracking");
• Surface rights owners wanting more state regulation of drilling practices;
• Mineral rights owners wanting more state regulation of drilling practices;
• Oil workers;
• Family members of oil workers concerned for their health & safety;
• Residents of North Dakota wanting to learn more about Bakken activities;
• Residents of other states or countries wanting to learn more about Bakken activities.

Bakken Watch believes that there is a conflict of interest between state officials and the oil and gas industry. Many state officials in North Dakota are also closely affiliated with the oil and gas industry. To expect our leaders--who are prominent figures in the oil and gas industry--to regulate oil/gas and keep us safe at all costs is like asking unsupervised children to keep their hands out of a very full and wide open cookie jar. The difference, though, is that when they gorge on the cookies, we all pay a huge price for a long time to come.

Bakken Watch is an all-volunteer organization with no political party affiliation.