Stenehjem: Oil Patch Tech Theft a Growing Problem

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota's attorney general says agents are working to combat the theft of trade secrets in the state's western oil patch.

Wayne Stenehjem tells KFGO radio the oil boom has presented "new opportunities" to steal trade secrets. He adds that agents from the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation are assisting in efforts to combat those hoping to steal secrets.

In September, FBI Special Agent Richard Thornton told KFGO that the risk of technology being stolen in the oil patch was a "national security threat." He said the combination of money, foreign workers and the technologically advanced equipment used in the oil fields made it an environment where intellectual property theft could occur.