A Tribute to Jason Spiess: Chronicler of The Bakken’s Crude Life
By Stephen Heins, The Word Merchant
A Tribute to Jason Spiess: Chronicler of The Bakken’s Crude Life
By Stephen Heins, The Word Merchant
Over the last decade, I’ve been involved him, watched evolve from a sharp-eyed multimedia journalist into one of the most consistent, on-the-ground voices covering the oil and gas industry in North Dakota and Montana. Through his platform The Crude Life, along with his radio shows, podcasts, and community work, Jason has helped shape how people understand what’s really happening out here—not just the headlines, but the day-to-day reality of economic growth, infrastructure struggles, community changes, and the constant push for better environmental practices.
He started The Crude Life back in 2012, and it quickly became a hub for honest conversations about the Bakken. Radio broadcasts, podcasts, YouTube videos, and social media reach—he’s built an audience of over 300,000 followers across those channels. Jason has sat down with everyone from roughnecks and landowners to scientists, CEOs, and politicians. He’s dug into horizontal drilling, reclamation work, workforce housing shortages, and the real socio-economic ripple effects of the boom.
Early on, he was pretty critical of the industry. But after spending real time with the people living it—talking to farmers, truck drivers, and small business owners—his perspective shifted. He moved toward a more balanced view that still holds the industry accountable while recognizinghow it lifted the region’s economy and built communities that didn’t exist before.
His radio programs—Building the Bakken, The Weekly Word ( which I co-hosted), MonDak OilField Review, and Coffee & Capitalism—air on about 25 stations and keep folks updated on everything from rig counts to local events. One interview that still sticks with me was his 2017 conversation with petroleum geologist Art Berman on The Crude Life podcast. They talked openly about early signs of production depletion in the Bakken, sparking much-needed discussions about long-term sustainability rather than just riding the boom.
Jason also wrote for Bakken Breakout Magazine, covering tech advancements, data sharing, land reclamation, and investment realities. In 2014, he reported for the Bismarck Tribune on MDU’s $70 million utility investment to support the region’s growth. He spotlighted entrepreneurs like Brian Hymel, who developed projects such as the Five Diamonds Industrial Park, demonstrating that the Bakken was attractingnew businesses and ideas.
On the community side, he’s been a regular at events that bring industry and locals together. He’s performed and promoted the Bakken BBQ in Dickinson, which raises money for Make-A-Wish North Dakota. He’s covered the Bakken Classic Fishing Derby put on by the North Dakota Petroleum Foundation, highlighting how the industry supports conservation efforts. And through his Kids and Capitalism initiative, he’s worked to show younger people the real career opportunities in the energy industry.
Environmentally, Jason has walked the walk. In 2020, he launched The Industrial Forest, a project to plant trees and offset carbon emissions from Bakken operations. He partners with local nurseries, fabricators, and even environmental activists to make sure the trees actually survive, using smart irrigation and sustainable methods. That lines up with his long-running Adopt-A-Highway work since 2004. He’s always pushed back against sensationalist media narratives, arguing for fact-based reporting that doesn’t scare away investment or unnecessarily polarize people.
He’s covered big infrastructure wins too—like the Davis Refinery project, which focuses on environmental compliance, and ideas like using bitcoin mining to manage flaring. He’s interviewed leaders from companies like Target Logistics aboutworkforce housing solutions and has discussed policy with then-Governor Doug Burgum on workforce development and innovation. When Continental Resources sold Bakken oil to China in 2017, Jason made sure people understood what that meant for global markets and local investment.
Looking back over the Bakken’s cycle—the big boom from 2010 to 2015, the painful downturn in 2015-2016, and the steadier recovery since—Jason’s reporting has been steady through it all. Production hit over a million barrels a day at its peak, and even with labor shortages and market swings, the region has matured.
What I appreciate most about Jason’s work is how he’s educated stakeholders without dumbing things down. He’s given a platform to small business owners, Native entrepreneurs like Jason Baker of Baker Consulting, and innovators who are trying to do energy better. He’s helped move the conversation away from pure polarization toward practical, localized solutions—what I like to call energy humanism.
In the end, Jason Spiess didn’t just report on the Bakken. He lived it, questioned it, celebrated its wins, and pushed for its improvement. And in doing so, he became part of the story himself and a friend of mine.