Choke-to-Death Butte

Montana’s Vast Untapped
Oil Reserves
Entire Field Compares to One of Saudi’s Largest

By Gil Browning

America has plenty of oil, much of it right here in Montana. How many times have you heard that? Yet it’s true. Gov. Brian Schweitzer puts the reserves beneath the state at 40 billion barrels, an impressive number compared to the country’s proven reserves that total 21 billion barrels, which excludes those yet to be counted in Montana and North Dakota. Adding North Dakota and Canada’s oil, part of the same formation under Montana, the numbers get much bigger, and Schweitzer’s estimate is low compared to those of experts in the field.