North Dakota Crude Output Cut By 520,000 b/d After October Wildfires

North Dakota, the third-largest producing state in the U.S., saw its crude production fall by 520,000 barrels per day in October after operators shut in wells to protect against wildfire damage. October production declined to 1.178 million barrels per day (bpd), with production yet to return to pre-crisis levels. According to Mark Bohrer, assistant director of the oil and gas division at the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, the state's rig count is currently steady at 37 in December, but could increase to the mid-40s over the next…