Natural gas flared in the Bakken has abruptly declined this year, reaching 8% in April, a striking change from the days when more than one-third of the gas from the oil-rich formation was burned.

“In 2014, flared volumes in the state reached 0.35 Bcf/D, equal to almost half of total volumes that were either flared or vented in the United States,” according to a report by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The volume of gas flared is down (see figure above) because more is flowing to market via the state’s expanded network of pipeline and processing facilities. The amount burned looks even smaller as a percentage because the total amount of gas produced has been rising in North Dakota, which set a record for output in March.