SIDNEY - America's largest inland oil field discovery in the past half century has made millionaires of many people in Richland County.
The U.S. Energy Department says that, for the second year in a row, Montana had the largest annual oil production increase of any state. The 20% increase, or 6 million barrels, is attributed to continued development of the Elm Coulee field in the Bakken formation in Richland County.
Jim Halvorson, of the Montana Board of Oil and Gas, says Richland County now has about 550 wells, and is producing more oil than the entire state of Montana did just five years ago. The discovery coincided with a huge spike in oil prices, to make many residents rich beyond their wildest dreams. It also means tens of millions of dollars for the Richland County government and the state of Montana.