Whiting Petroleum Corporation's First Quarter 2008 Earnings Increase Five-Fold to a Record $1.47 per Share

Sets Records in Total Net Income, Discretionary Cash Flow and Total Revenues Increases 2008 Capital Budget to $740 Million from $640 Million

Whiting Petroleum Corporation's First Quarter 2008 Earnings Increase Five-Fold to a Record $1.47 per Share

DENVER, May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Whiting Petroleum Corporation NYSE: WLL today reported record first quarter 2008 net income of $62.3 million, or $1.47 per basic and diluted share, on total revenues of $264.1 million. This compares to first quarter 2007 net income of $10.7 million, or $0.29 per basic and diluted share, on total revenues of $159.9 million. Discretionary cash flow in the first quarter of 2008 totaled a record $161.4 million, more than double the $74.1 million reported for the same period in 2007. A reconciliation of discretionary cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities is included at the end of this news release. The increases in net income and discretionary cash flow in the first quarter of 2008 versus the comparable 2007 period were primarily the result of a 64% increase in the Company's net realized oil price, a 25% increase in its net realized gas price, and a 6% increase in the Company's total equivalent production.

Production in the first quarter of 2008 totaled 3.74 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBOE), of which 2.59 million barrels were crude oil (69%) and 1.15 MMBOE was natural gas (31%). This first quarter 2008 production total equates to a daily average production rate of 41,120 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), compared to the 39,260 BOE per day average rate in 2007's first quarter. This also represents a 2% increase from the fourth quarter 2007 daily average rate of 40,340 BOE. Production in the first quarter of 2007 was affected by a refinery fire, which caused approximately 378 BOE per day of production to be shut-in or restricted.

Whiting has increased its exploration and development budget by $100 million to $740 million for 2008. The majority of this increase is related to increased expenditures on our multi-year CO2 project at the North Ward Estes field where we have increased expenditures to accelerate construction and the completion of certain projects. The increased budget is also attributable to increased CO2 costs due to higher CO2 injection rates and higher purchase costs as the price of CO2 in this field is indexed to oil prices.

James J. Volker, Whiting's Chairman, President and CEO, commented, "We are pleased with the execution of our drilling programs and on the implementation and expansion of our two CO2 projects. We continue to generate excellent results from our Bakken drilling program in North Dakota where we recently brought on the Maynard Uran Trust #11-24H with an initial production rate of 2,132 BOE per day. We are completing construction of our Robinson Lake gas processing plant in the Sanish field and expect gas and natural gas liquids sales to begin from this area by June 30. We also completed the installation of a 2.9-mile pipeline at our Boies Ranch prospect in the Piceance Basin and expect to bring on more than 6 million cubic feet per day of net gas production from seven wells at Boies Ranch by June 1. In addition, both of our CO2 projects are responding to CO2 injection and we expect to see continuing production increases from both floods as the year progresses."

    Other Noteworthy Events and Results

     --   On May 4, 2008, Whiting entered into a purchase and sale agreement
          with Chicago Energy Associates, LLC to purchase interests in
          producing gas wells, a gathering system and development acreage in
          the Flat Rock Natural Gas Field in Uintah County, Utah for a
          purchase price of $365 million.  This acquisition is described in
          more detail in a separate Whiting news release issued today.

     --   On April 30, 2008, Whiting closed the initial public offering of
          11,677,500 units of beneficial interest in Whiting USA Trust I at
          $20.00 per trust unit to the public.  The trust units began trading
          on the NYSE on April 25, 2008 under the symbol WHX.  After
          completion of the offering, Whiting owns 2,186,389 (15.77%) out of
          the 13,863,889 total outstanding trust units.

          Whiting received net proceeds from this offering of $215.4 million,
          which the Company used to reduce the debt outstanding under its
          credit agreement to $80 million currently from $290 million at March
          31, 2008.  Our borrowing base remains at $900 million with $820
          million available.  This debt reduction brought our current debt to
          total capitalization to approximately 31%.

          As reflected in the Company's guidance, average production in 2008
          has been reduced by approximately 3,100 BOE per day subsequent to
          the April 30, 2008 closing date of the trust.  This represents 7.4%
          of our total production for March 2008 of 41,800 BOE per day.  The
          8.20 MMBOE of proved producing reserves conveyed to the trust
          represented 3.27% of the Company's total year-end 2007 proved
          reserves of 250.8 MMBOE.  After netting the Company's ownership of
          2,186,389 trust units, third-party public trust unit holders
          received 6.909 MMBOE of proved producing reserves, or 2.75% of the
          Company's total year-end 2007 proved reserves.  Based on the net
          proceeds from the initial public offering of $215.4 million, Whiting
          received $31.18 per BOE from the offering.

     --   In the first quarter of 2008, Whiting's net production from the
          Middle Bakken formation in the Sanish and Parshall fields of North
          Dakota totaled 3,344 barrels of oil per day, which represents a 92%
          increase over the fourth quarter of 2007.  Net production from these
          fields in March rose to 4,153 barrels of oil per day.

          In the Company's Sanish field in Mountrail County, North Dakota,
          Whiting completed its Maynard Uran Trust 11-24H on April 23, 2008
          flowing 1,923 barrels of oil and 1.3 million cubic feet (MMcf) of
          gas per day from the Middle Bakken formation at a vertical depth of
          approximately 10,300 feet.  On an equivalent basis, this equates to
          2,132 BOE per day.  The flow rate was gauged on a 24/64-inch choke
          with a flowing casing pressure of 1,100 psi.  The triple-lateral
          well was drilled on a 1,280-acre spacing unit and penetrated more
          than 20,000 feet of horizontal pay.  It was drilled in the two
          sections immediately north of Whiting's Peery State 11-25H discovery
          well, which was completed in May of 2007 flowing at an initial rate
          of 1,254 BOE per day from the Middle Bakken formation.  Whiting
          holds an 84% working interest and a 68% net revenue interest in the
          new producer and is the operator.

          Whiting is currently drilling or completing six wells in the Sanish
          field and is also completing a 100% working interest well in the
          northern portion of the neighboring Parshall field.  The Company
          recently added a fifth rig for its Sanish field drilling operations
          and expects to have as many as nine rigs working in the area by
          year-end 2008.  In 2008, we plan to drill approximately 36 operated
          wells in the Sanish field with an average working interest of 81%.
          We expect most of these to be single-lateral wells drilled on
          1,280-acre spacing units.  Ultimately, we may drill two
          single-lateral wells per 1,280-acre spacing unit.  Along with some
          potential in-fill drilling, we estimate we could have up to 230
          total well locations in the Sanish field.  Whiting holds 118,348
          gross acres (83,033 net acres) in the field.  The Company's net
          production from the Sanish field alone in March 2008 averaged 1,175
          barrels of oil per day.

          The Company is completing construction of its Robinson Lake gas
          processing plant in the Sanish field and expects gas and natural gas
          liquids (NGLs) sales to begin by June 30, 2008.  The plant is
          expected to initially process its current capacity of 3 MMcf per
          day.  In the fourth quarter, capacity is expected to increase to 33
          MMcf per day.  The gas produced from the Sanish field contains large
          amounts of NGLs and has a Btu content of approximately 1,700 per
          cubic foot.  The yield from the plant is expected to approximate 150
          to 170 barrels of NGLs per 1 MMcf of gas.

          Whiting owns interests in 66,957 gross acres (13,470 net acres) in
          the Parshall field and has now participated in a total of 37 wells
          that produce from the Bakken formation, 13 of which were completed
          in 2008.  We expect to participate in a total of 50 to 60 wells in
          the Parshall field in 2008 with an average working interest of 20%.
          Nine drilling rigs are currently working in the Parshall field.
          Whiting's net production from the Parshall field in March 2008
          averaged 2,978 barrels of oil per day.

     --   At our Boies Ranch prospect in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, we have
          completed seven new gas wells to date in 2008 that are currently
          waiting on pipeline connection.  These new Piceance Basin gas wells
          are expected to be connected to pipeline by June 1 and are expected
          to bring total net gas sales from Boies Ranch to more than 7 MMcf
          per day.  Whiting holds an average working interest of 96% and an
          average net revenue interest of 82% in the seven new gas wells.  In
          addition, four wells are currently waiting on completion and two
          wells are being drilled.

          Whiting recently completed a 2.9-mile, 10-inch diameter pipeline
          that has a total daily capacity of approximately 80 MMcf of gas at
          Boies Ranch. Start-up of the pipeline facilities is expected to
          occur by June 1.  The new pipeline connects to a supply trunk line
          feeding a 750 MMcf per day treating and processing facility
          connected to the Rockies Express pipeline (REX) that gives us access
          to multiple intrastate and interstate markets.  Our new pipeline
          connection will allow us to market all of our gas at Boies Ranch
          without restriction.  The 42-inch diameter REX pipeline currently
          has a capacity of transporting 1.5 Bcf of gas per day.  When REX
          came on stream in January 2008, Rocky Mountain gas price
          differentials narrowed significantly.

          Whiting holds 2,760 gross acres (1,571 net acres) on the Boies Ranch
          and Jimmy Gulch prospects.  In addition, we own 14,133 gross federal
          lease acres (2,501 net acres) in this immediate area.  We plan to
          drill a total of 110 wells on Boies Ranch and Jimmy Gulch, 24 of
          which are planned for 2008.  The wells are scheduled to be drilled
          on 20-acre spacing units.  Drilling operations are expected to
          commence at Jimmy Gulch in the third quarter of 2008.

     --   Whiting's expansion of its CO2 flood at the Postle field, located in
          Texas County, Oklahoma, continues to generate positive results.
          Production from the field has increased from a net 4,200 BOE per day
          at the time of its acquisition in August 2005 to a net 6,200 BOE per
          day in March 2008, an increase of 48%.  Our objective had been to
          increase CO2 injection into the field's producing reservoir to 120
          MMcf per day from approximately 60 MMcf per day at the time we
          acquired the field.  We surpassed the 120 MMcf daily rate in January
          2008.

          This project is part of the Company's plan to expand the existing
          water and CO2 flood from the eastern half of the Postle field to the
          western half of the field.  The field includes six producing units
          covering a total of approximately 25,600 gross acres (24,223 net
          acres) with working interests of 94% to 100%.  As of December 31,
          2007, there were 156 producing wells and 119 injection wells
          completed in the Morrow zone at 6,100 feet.

     --   The North Ward Estes field in Ward and Winkler Counties, Texas is
          responding to the Company's CO2 injection, which was initiated in
          May 2007.  Whiting's target for CO2 injection into the field was 100
          MMcf per day by the end of the first quarter of 2008.  This
          milestone was reached in January 2008, and we are currently
          injecting approximately 120 MMcf into the Yates formation, the
          field's producing reservoir, at a depth of approximately 2,600 feet.
          Net production from North Ward Estes in March 2008 averaged
          5,200 BOE per day, which compared to a net daily rate of 3,560 BOE
          during the first quarter of 2005, prior to Whiting's July 2005
          agreement to acquire the North Ward Estes field.

          The North Ward Estes field includes six base leases with 100%
          working interest in 58,000 gross and net acres.  As of December 31,
          2007, there were 1,024 producing wells and 349 injection wells.  In
          addition to the Yates formation, production exists in other zones,
          including the Queen at 3,000 feet.  We also have the rights to
          deeper horizons under 34,140 gross acres in the field.


The following table summarizes the Company's net production and commodity price realizations for the quarters ended March 31, 2008 and 2007:


                                      Three Months Ended
    Production                      3/31/08         3/31/07        Change
    Oil and condensate (MMBls)         2.59            2.25           15%
    Natural gas (Bcf)                  6.89            7.73          (11%)
    Equivalent (MMBOE)                 3.74            3.53            6%

    Average Sales Price
    Oil and condensate (per Bbl):
      Price received                 $89.58          $49.33           82%
      Effect of crude oil hedging     (8.83)           -
    Realized price                   $80.75          $49.33           64%

    Natural gas (per Mcf):
      Price received                  $7.89           $6.33           25%
      Effect of natural gas hedging    -               -
    Realized price                    $7.89           $6.33           25%

Whiting recorded a loss of $22.9 million on its crude oil hedges during the first quarter of 2008. A summary of Whiting's outstanding hedges is included later in this news release.



    First Quarter 2008 Costs and Margins
    A summary of revenues and cash costs on a per BOE basis is as follows:


                                                    Per BOE, Except Production
                                                           Three Months
                                                         Ended March 31,
                                                        2008           2007
    Production (MMBOE)                                  3.74           3.53

    Sales price, net of hedging                       $70.50         $45.20
    Lease operating expense                            14.89          13.88
    Production tax                                      4.73           2.72
    General & administrative                            3.10           2.34
    Exploration                                         2.25           1.94
    Cash interest expense                               3.75           5.05
    Cash income tax expense                             0.46           0.18
                                                      $41.32         $19.09


During the first quarter, our company-wide basis differential for crude oil compared to NYMEX was $8.38 per barrel, which compared to $8.79 per barrel in the first quarter of 2007 and $8.25 per barrel in the fourth quarter of 2007. We expect our oil price differential to remain at $8.00 to $8.50 in 2008.

During the first quarter, our company-wide basis differential for natural gas compared to NYMEX was $0.14 per Mcf, which compared to $0.44 per Mcf in the first quarter of 2007 and $0.60 per Mcf in the fourth quarter of 2007. We expect our gas price differential to be in the range of $0.30 to $0.50 in second quarter of 2008.

First Quarter 2008 Drilling Summary

The table below summarizes Whiting's drilling activity and exploration and development costs incurred for the three months ended March 31, 2008:


                         Gross/Net Wells Completed
                                                                  Expl. & Dev.
                                         Total New    % Success       Cost
             Producing   Non-Producing   Drilling       Rate     (in millions)
    Q108     47 / 25.7     5 / 0.5       52 / 26.2    90% / 98%      $187.9

Currently, Whiting is operating 17 drilling rigs and 51 workover rigs on its properties and is participating in the drilling of 12 non-operated wells. Of these workover rigs, 27 are operating in the North Ward Estes field and six are working in the Postle field.

Outlook for Second Quarter and Full-year 2008

The following statements provide a summary of certain estimates for the second quarter and full-year 2008 based on current forecasts. Whiting's full-year 2008 capital budget is $740 million (excluding acquisition costs).

The general and administrative guidance for the second quarter and full year includes a charge of $7.7 million under our Production Participation Plan related to the conveyance of a net profits interest into Whiting USA Trust I.

Production guidance has been reduced by 190,000 BOE and 725,000 BOE for the second quarter and full-year 2008, respectively, as a result of the recently completed Whiting USA Trust I public offering.

The guidance has not been updated to include the impact of the acquisition from Chicago Energy. Whiting intends to update guidance to include the impact of this acquisition after the expected May 30, 2008 closing. Whiting estimates that net production from the properties to be acquired from Chicago Energy was 19 MMcfe per day in March 2008.



    Guidance for the second quarter and full-year 2008 is as follows:


                                                          Guidance
                                             Second Quarter       Full-Year
                                                  2008              2008
    Production (MMBOE)                         3.65 -   3.75    14.90 -  15.10
    Lease operating expense per BOE          $14.80 - $15.20   $14.70 - $15.10
    General and admin. expense per BOE       $ 5.70 - $ 5.90   $ 3.95 - $ 4.25
    Interest expense per BOE                 $ 3.80 - $ 4.00   $ 3.90 - $ 4.10
    Depr., depletion and amort. per BOE      $13.90 - $14.30   $14.10 - $14.50
    Prod. taxes (% of production revenue)      6.3% - 6.7%       6.4% - 6.8%
    Oil Price Differentials to NYMEX per Bbl $ 8.00 - $ 8.50   $ 8.00 - $ 8.50
    Gas Price Differentials to NYMEX per Mcf $ 0.30 - $ 0.50   $ 0.25 - $ 0.45



    Oil Hedges and Fixed-Price Gas Contracts
    Whiting Petroleum Corporation's outstanding oil hedges and fixed-price gas
    contracts as of April 15, 2008 are summarized below:



                                                            As a Percentage of
             Contracted Volume   NYMEX Price Collar Range       March 2008
    Hedges   (Bbls per Month)         (per Bbl)               Oil Production

    2008
    Q2          110,000             $48.00 - $71.60                13%
    Q2          120,000             $60.00 - $74.65                14%
    Q2          100,000             $65.00 - $80.50                12%
    Q3          110,000             $48.00 - $70.85                13%
    Q3          120,000             $60.00 - $75.60                14%
    Q3          100,000             $65.00 - $81.00                12%
    Q4          110,000             $48.00 - $70.20                13%
    Q4          120,000             $60.00 - $75.85                14%
    Q4          100,000             $65.00 - $81.20                12%



                                                                   As a
                               Natural Gas    2008 Contract  Percentage of
    Fixed Price Contracts   Volumes in MMBtu    Price (1)      March 2008
                               per Month        per MMBtu     Gas Production
    April 2008 - May 2011        26,000          $4.94              1%
    April 2008 - Sep. 2012       67,000          $4.38              3%

    (1) Annual 4% price escalation on fixed price contracts.

In conjunction with the Whiting USA Trust I, we entered into certain oil and natural gas hedges. No additional hedges are allowed to be placed on trust assets. All future economic benefits or detriments of the hedge contracts listed below have been transferred to the trust and included in the calculation of net proceeds under the trust. Under the trust, Whiting retains 10% of the net proceeds from the underlying properties. Whiting's 10% of these net proceeds combined with its ownership of 2,186,389 trust units results in third-party public holders of trust units receiving 75.8%, and Whiting retaining 24.2%, of the future economic results of such hedge contracts.



                 Contracted Volume              NYMEX Price Collar Range
              Natural Gas      Oil
               Mcf per       Bbls per          Gas                Oil
    Hedges     Month          Month         (per MMBtu)         (per Bbl)

    2008       241,073       52,920       $7.00 - $16.06     $82.00 - $133.20
    2009       198,974       48,166       $6.50 - $17.11     $76.00 - $137.43
    2010       170,589       43,488       $6.50 - $15.06     $76.00 - $134.98
    2011       150,313       39,614       $6.50 - $14.62     $74.00 - $140.15
    2012       132,232       36,189       $6.50 - $14.27     $74.00 - $141.72



                 Selected Operating and Financial Statistics

                                                         Three Months Ended
                                                              March 31,
                                                          2008           2007
    Selected operating statistics
    Production
      Oil and condensate, MBbl                           2,594          2,245
      Natural gas, MMcf                                  6,890          7,729
      Oil equivalents, MBOE                              3,742          3,533
    Average Prices
      Oil, Bbl (excludes hedging)                       $89.58         $49.33
      Natural gas, Mcf (excludes hedging)                $7.89          $6.33
    Per BOE Data
      Sales price (including hedging)                   $70.50         $45.20
      Lease operating                                   $14.89         $13.88
      Production taxes                                   $4.73          $2.72
      Depreciation, depletion and amortization          $13.50         $12.62
      General and administrative                         $3.10          $2.34
    Selected Financial Data
     (In thousands, except per share data)
      Total revenues and other income                 $264,050       $159,923
      Total costs and expenses                        $165,268       $143,404
      Net income                                       $62,314        $10,666
      Net income per common share, basic and diluted     $1.47          $0.29

      Average shares outstanding, basic                 42,272         36,771
      Average shares outstanding, diluted               42,406         36,861
      Net cash provided by operating activities       $122,453        $62,361
      Net cash used in investing activities          $(170,501)     $(124,839)
      Net cash provided by financing activities        $40,000        $60,294

Conference Call

The Company's management will host a conference call with investors, analysts and other interested parties on Monday, May 5, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. EDT (3:00 p.m. CDT, 2:00 p.m. MDT) to discuss Whiting's first quarter 2008 financial and operating results and the Chicago Energy acquisition. Please call (866) 770-7129 (U.S./Canada) or (617) 213-8067 (International) and enter the pass code 41921120 to be connected to the call. Access to a live Internet broadcast will be available at http://www.whiting.com by clicking on the link titled "Webcasts." Slides for the conference call will be available on this website beginning at 4:00 p.m. (EDT) on May 5, 2008.

A telephonic replay will be available beginning approximately two hours after the call on Monday, May 5, 2008 and continuing through Monday, May 12, 2008. You may access this replay at (888) 286-8010 (U.S./Canada) or (617) 801-6888 (International) and entering the pass code 96736125. You may also access a web archive at http://www.whiting.com beginning approximately one hour after the conference call.

About Whiting Petroleum Corporation

Whiting Petroleum Corporation, a Delaware corporation, is an independent oil and gas company that acquires, exploits, develops and explores for crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids primarily in the Permian Basin, Rocky Mountains, Mid-Continent, Gulf Coast and Michigan regions of the United States. The Company trades publicly under the symbol WLL on the New York Stock Exchange. For further information, please visit http://www.whiting.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that we believe to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than historical facts, including, without limitation, statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy, projected revenues, earnings, costs, capital expenditures and debt levels, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as we "expect," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe" or "should" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such statements.

These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: declines in oil or gas prices; our level of success in exploitation, exploration, development and production activities; adverse weather conditions that may negatively impact development or production activities; the timing of our exploration and development expenditures, including our ability to obtain drilling rigs and CO2; our ability to obtain external capital to finance acquisitions; our ability to identify and complete acquisitions, including the Chicago Energy acquisition, and to successfully integrate acquired businesses, including the properties to be acquired from Chicago Energy; unforeseen underperformance of or liabilities associated with acquired properties, including the properties to be acquired from Chicago Energy; our ability to successfully complete potential asset dispositions; inaccuracies of our reserve estimates or our assumptions underlying them; failure of our properties to yield oil or gas in commercially viable quantities; uninsured or underinsured losses resulting from our oil and gas operations; our inability to access oil and gas markets due to market conditions or operational impediments; the impact and costs of compliance with laws and regulations governing our oil and gas operations; risks related to our level of indebtedness and periodic redeterminations of our borrowing base under our credit agreement; our ability to replace our oil and gas reserves; any loss of our senior management or technical personnel; competition in the oil and gas industry in the regions in which we operate; risks arising out of our hedging transactions; and other risks described under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007. We assume no obligation, and disclaim any duty, to update the forward-looking statements in this news release.

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

For further information and discussion on the selected financial data below, please refer to Whiting Petroleum Corporation's First Quarter Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2008, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.



                        WHITING PETROLEUM CORPORATION
                   CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)
                                (In thousands)

                                                   March 31,     December 31,
                                                     2008            2007
    ASSETS

    CURRENT ASSETS:
      Cash and cash equivalents                      $6,730        $14,778
      Accounts receivable trade, net                139,124        110,437
      Deferred income taxes                          27,128         27,720
      Prepaid expenses and other                     19,599          9,232
        Total current assets                        192,581        162,167

    PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT:
      Oil and gas properties, successful efforts method:
        Proved properties                         3,373,584      3,313,777
        Unproved properties                          54,833         55,084
      Other property and equipment                   43,590         37,778

        Total property and equipment              3,472,007      3,406,639

      Less accumulated depreciation, depletion
       and amortization                            (663,134)      (646,943)

      Oil and gas properties held for sale, net      93,322              -

    Total property and equipment, net             2,902,195      2,759,696

    DEBT ISSUANCE COSTS                              13,944         15,016

    OTHER LONG-TERM ASSETS                           18,402         15,132

    TOTAL                                        $3,127,122     $2,952,011



                        WHITING PETROLEUM CORPORATION
                   CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)
               (In thousands, except share and per share data)

                                                    March 31,    December 31,
                                                      2008            2007
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

    CURRENT LIABILITIES:
      Accounts payable                               $33,951        $19,280
      Accrued capital expenditures                    77,939         59,441
      Accrued liabilities                             23,227         29,098
      Accrued interest                                20,097         11,240
      Oil and gas sales payable                       30,182         26,205
      Accrued employee compensation and benefits       7,622         21,081
      Production taxes payable                        14,857         12,936
      Current portion of tax sharing liability         2,587          2,587
      Current portion of derivative liability         71,197         72,796

        Total current liabilities                    281,659        254,664

    NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES:
      Long-term debt                                 909,998        868,248
      Asset retirement obligations                    36,279         35,883
      Production Participation Plan liability         40,199         34,042
      Tax sharing liability                           23,381         23,070
      Deferred income taxes                          277,723        242,964
      Other long-term liabilities                      2,273          2,314
      Liabilities associated with oil and gas
       properties held for sale                        1,674              -

        Total non-current liabilities              1,291,527      1,206,521

    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

    STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY:
      Common stock, $0.001 par value;
       75,000,000 shares authorized, 42,581,316
       and 42,480,497 shares issued as of
       March 31, 2008 and December 31, 2007,
       respectively                                       43             42
      Additional paid-in capital                     968,648        968,876
      Accumulated other comprehensive loss           (45,093)       (46,116)
      Retained earnings                              630,338        568,024

        Total stockholders' equity                 1,553,936      1,490,826

    TOTAL                                         $3,127,122     $2,952,011



                        WHITING PETROLEUM CORPORATION
                      CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
                    (In thousands, except per share data)

                                                        Three Months Ended
                                                             March 31,
                                                         2008           2007
    REVENUES AND OTHER INCOME:
      Oil and gas sales                               $286,731       $159,714
      Loss on oil and natural gas hedging activities   (22,912)             -
      Interest income and other                            231            209
        Total revenues and other income                264,050        159,923
    COSTS AND EXPENSES:
      Lease operating                                   55,706         49,057
      Production taxes                                  17,686          9,612
      Depreciation, depletion and amortization          50,511         44,571
      Exploration and impairment                        10,984          9,176
      General and administrative                        11,615          8,285
      Change in Production Participation Plan liability  6,157          2,092
      Interest expense                                  15,546         19,497
      Unrealized derivative loss                        (2,937)         1,114
        Total costs and expenses                       165,268        143,404

    INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES                          98,782         16,519

    INCOME TAX EXPENSE:
      Current                                            1,709            626
      Deferred                                          34,759          5,227
        Total income tax expense                        36,468          5,853

    NET INCOME                                         $62,314        $10,666

    NET INCOME PER COMMON SHARE, BASIC AND DILUTED       $1.47          $0.29

    WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING, BASIC          42,272         36,771

    WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING, DILUTED        42,406         36,861



                        WHITING PETROLEUM CORPORATION
 Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Discretionary
                                  Cash Flow
                                (In thousands)

                                                       Three Months Ended
                                                            March 31,
                                                       2008           2007

    Net cash provided by operating activities       $122,453        $62,361

    Exploration                                        8,412          6,860

    Changes in working capital                        30,567          4,842

    Discretionary cash flow (1)                     $161,432        $74,063

    (1) Discretionary cash flow is computed as net income plus exploration and
        impairment costs, depreciation, depletion and amortization, deferred
        income taxes, non-cash interest costs, non-cash compensation plan
        charges, unrealized derivative gains/losses and other non-current
        items less the gain on sale of properties and marketable securities.
        The non-GAAP measure of discretionary cash flow is presented because
        management believes it provides useful information to investors for
        analysis of the Company's ability to internally fund acquisitions,
        exploration and development.  Discretionary cash flow should not be
        considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income, income from
        operations, net cash provided by operating activities or other income,
        cash flow or liquidity measures under GAAP and may not be comparable
        to other similarly titled measures of other companies.
Website: http://www.whiting.com/




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