THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF NORTH DAKOTA 
 
 
Table 5.—Coal (lignite) sold or used ' ,by counties 
617 
(Short tons) 
 1966 1967 
 Number  NumberCounty of mines  of mines operating Quantity operating Quantity
  (all    (all  strip) ,   strip) 
Adams  1 21,162 1 16,236Bowman  1 112,933 1 137,102Burke  3 479,873 3 497,159Burleigh
 1 5 808 1 4,722Grant  3 17,924 3 14,238Hettinger  1 2,318 - -McLean  2 38,380
2 36,904Mercer  3 2,343,472 3 2,876,309Morton  3 16,414 3 12,993Oliver  1
110,849 1 110,519Stark  3 91,885 3 96,592Ward  2 293,821 2 349,734Williams
 1 8,000 1 3,014 
 Total 25 3,542,839 24 4,155,522 
1 Excludes mines producing less than 1,000 short tons, 
 
 Federal Bureau of Mines experiments on the production of carbon disulfide
from lignite coals3 could make North Dakota a major source of carbon disulfIde.
U.S. annual consumption of this chemical, which is essential in making rayon
and cellophane, is over 660 million pounds, worth $30 million. 
 The new, 200—megawatt, lignite-burning generating plant being constructed
for Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc., which is due on the line in 1970, seems
to assure the increased consumption of lignite. North Dakota coal reserves
of over 350 billion tons were the largest in the United States. 
 
 Natural Gas.—Because the reservoirs were further depleted, output
of dry natural gas declined 36 percent. Production of casinghead gas also
declined but at a much slower rate. Total gas output declined 13 percent.
None of the State's eight successful wildcat wells were classed as gas discoveries.
Three gasoline plants removed liquids from the casinghead gas before it was
delivered to Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. 
 Early in the year the North Dakota Public Service Commission gave tentative
approval to Midwest Natural Gas Co. of South Dakota for constructing a gas
pipeline system in the eastern part of the State. The system, which would
serve 44 communities in 17 counties, would cost ap 
proximately $19 million. Gas for the southern part of the system was to be
obtained from Northern Natural Gas Co., and that for the northern part from
Canadian sources. Negotiations were still underway at yearend. 
 
 Natural Gas Liquids.—13ecause of the decline in casinghead-gas production,
output of natural gas liquids was correspondingly lower. Of the three gasoline
plants— Hunt Industries at North Tioga, Signal Oil and Gas Co. at Tioga,
and Texaco Inc. at Lignite—the latter two produced sulfur as well as
liquids. 
 
 Peat.—Mined and processed for use as 
a soil conditioner, peat output from bog 
deposits in Bottineau County increased 
200 percent in value and 220 percent in 
quantity. 
 
 Petroleum.—The recent upward trend in crude oil production was broken
when output dropped 7 percent below the 1966 figure of 27.1 million barrels.
A significant factor in the overall decrease was the 14-percent decline in
output from the Beaver Lodge field, largest producer in the State. Contributing
causes were the depletion of older reservoirs, and the lack of major new
reserves. In the 103 fields with 123 reservoirs, 2,063 oil wells, of which

 
Sondreal, E. A., A. M. Cooley, and R. C. 
Eliman. Bench-Scale Production of Carbon 
Disulfide From Lignite Char and Sulfur. 
BuMines Rept. of mv. 6891, 1967, 20 pp.