Black Hills Exploration & Production is the oil and natural gas exploration and production subsidiary of Black Hills Corporation with operating and non-operating interests in 1,219 developed oil and gas wells in nine states.

We operate as Black Hills Plateau Production in the Piceance Basin of Colorado, as Black Hills Gas Resources in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and as Black Hills Exploration & Production in all other areas.

Black Hills E&P has several departments within its organization, including: engineering, geology, land, permitting, accounting and production. Headquartered in Denver, Colo., we have additional field offices in Grand Junction, Colo.; Bloomfield, N.M.; and Newcastle, Wyo.

Black Hills Exploration & Production, formerly known as the Western Production Company, started as a Wyoming-based oil and gas company established in the 1970s which Black Hills Corporation purchased in 1986. The subsidiary operated under Western Production Company until 1999 when the name changed to Black Hills Exploration & Production.

Since becoming Black Hills E&P, we’ve expanded our operations into the Piceance Basin in 2001 and 2006, as well as the San Juan Basin in 2003.

Black Hills E&P is headquartered in Denver, Colo.

Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing (also referred to as “fracking”) is the process of pumping mostly water, sand and other ingredients at high pressure into wells that have been drilled for oil and gas. The pressure creates fissures in the rock and releases oil or gas for pumping.

Hydraulic fracturing is only one part of the drilling practice and it’s not new. In fact, more than 1 million fracture stimulation jobs have been performed since 1948. And Black Hills Exploration & Production has used fracking for 30 to 40 years on thousands of wells throughout the Rocky Mountain region, mid-continent region and neighboring states. We have no incident where our fracturing has caused a negative impact to drinking water or the environment.

We, and the agencies that regulate us, are committed to preventing release of any fracturing fluids into groundwater aquifers. There is a robust regulatory framework in place today to prevent harmful environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing. In addition, we take every precaution in pre-drilling well design and actual operations to ensure environmental safety and 99.5 percent of the material pumped into wells for fracking is water. The rest is made up of sand and chemicals to control pH, bacteria, corrosion and viscosity.

The Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies, including the Department of Interior, are engaged in studies examining the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on water and other resources. These studies may be the first step toward regulating hydraulic fracturing practices on the federal level. We believe that states are best equipped to regulate this practice. Some states, including Wyoming, have adopted progressive regulations setting standards for hydraulic fracturing practices and for requiring disclosure of such practices. 

Community Partner

Throughout our history, Black Hills Exploration & Production has been responsible corporate citizens to our customers, communities, employees and the environment. Consistent with this philosophy, we pledge to use best management practices and put them to work as part of our responsibility to act as good neighbors to landowners, as good stewards of natural resources and as good partners with the residents, leaders and public officials of the communities where we live and work.

We commit to:

Our employee’s exhibit respect and integrity when working with all stakeholders, including regulatory agencies; federal, state and local governments; surface, mineral and royalty owners; and community organizations.