Parshall Field Update

For 2015, permits #32298 - 30980 have been posted.

Permits

Non-Wayzetta, Non-Austin, Non-Fertile, Non-Van Hook, Non-Parshall Well Permits

2015

31430, 1,579, EOG, Liberty 33-1423H, t3/16; cum 397K 2/20;

31429, 1,313, EOG, Liberty 35-1413H, t5/16; cum 127K 11/16;

31032, 910, EOG, Shell 5-1930H, t9/16; cum 35K 11/16;

31031, 1,038, EOG, Shell 6-1930H, t9/16; cum 45K 11/16;

31030, 1,197, EOG, Shell 52-1930H, t9/16; cum 27K 11/16;

31022, PNC, EOG, Shell 48-3231H,

31021, conf, EOG, Shell 49-3231H,

31019, 835, EOG, Shell 42-3229H, t9/16; cum 31K 11/16;

31018, 973, EOG, Shell 40-3229H, t9/16; cum 52K 11/16;

31010, 1,038, EOG, Shell 46-3229H, t9/16; cum 32K 11/16;

30880, 423, EOG, Shell 4-1930H, t10/16; cum 17K 11/16;

30856, 774, EOG, Shell 29-2820H, 52 stages, 16.8 million lbs, t10/16; cum 14K 11/16;

30855, 1,086, EOG, Shell 30-2820H, t10/16; cum 30K 11/16;

30854, 836, EOG, Shell 14-3225H, t9/15; cum 179K 11/16;

30782, 424, EOG, Shell 11-3225H, 59 stages, 15 million lbs, t9/15; cum 3K 9/15;

30781, 1,211, EOG, Shell 23-2820H, t10/16; cum 36K 11/16;

30759, 671, Sinclair, Nelson 25-26XH, Parshall, t917; cum 83K 2/20;

30615, PNC, Hunt, Patten 153-89-27-22H 1,

30595, loc, EOG, Liberty LR 30-2321H,

30594, loc, EOG, Liberty LR 108-2321H,

30593, loc, EOG, Liberty LR 29-2321H,

30491, PNC, EOG, Shell 9-3019H,

30490, PNC, EOG, Shell 8-3019H,

30489, PNC, EOG, Shell 7-3019H,
30472, PNC, EOG, Shell 19-2819H,
30471, PNC, EOG, Shell 20-2819H,
30470, PNC, EOG, Shell 21-2819H,
30469, 1,203, EOG, Shell 22-2819H, Parshall, t10/16; cum199K 2/20;
30446, 604, EOG, Shell 12-3225H, 57 stages, 15 million lbs, t9/15; cum 3K 9/15;
30445, 881, EOG, Shell 13-3225H, Parshall, t9/15; cum 233K 2/20;
30444, 407, EOG, Shell 15-2819H, t10/16; cum 20K 11/16;
30443, PNC, EOG, Shell 16-2819H,
30442, 1,135, EOG, Shell 17-2819H, 58 stages, 22.72 million lbs, t10/16; cum 30K 11/16;
30411, conf, Hunt, Patten 153-89-33-34H-3,
30410, conf, Hunt, Patten 153-89-33-34H-2,

2014 (list is complete)

29312, 511, Hunt, Horst 154-90-24H-3, Parshall, 26 stages, 1.7 million lbs, t2/15; cum 66K 9/15;

28847, conf, Hunt, Oakland 2-7-6H,
28619, conf, Hess, RS-State E-155-90-36H-3,
28618, conf, Hess, RS-State E-155-90-36H-2,

 *****************************************

Austin Permits

The Austin wells. 

 *****************************************

Van Hook Permits
2015 (the list is complete)

32316, 673, EOG, Van Hook 71-1411HX, Parshall, t6/17; cum 291K 2/20;
32315, 613, EOG, Van Hook 70-1411HX, Parshall, t6/17; cum 211K 2/20;
32229, PNC, EOG, Van Hook 56-2523H,

32228, PNC, EOG, Van Hook 53-2523H,

32227, PNC, EOG, Van Hook 51-2523H,

32201, conf, EOG, Van Hook 81-0231H,

32119, conf, EOG, Van Hook 39-3526H,

31946, 1,232, EOG, Van Hook 44-3626XH, Parshall, t5/17; cum 318K 2/20;

31924, PNC, EOG, Van Hook 80-02H,

31605, PNC, EOG, Van Hook 56-2523HC,

31578, 2,398, EOG, Van Hook 22-0606H, Parshall, t4/17; cum 342K 2/20;

31399, 795, EOG, Van Hook 36-35H, Parshall, t4/17; cum237K 2/20;

31207, dry, EOG, Van Hook 44-3626H,

31206, 972, EOG, Van Hook 46-3626H, Parshall, t5/17; cum 310K 2/20;

30990, conf, EOG, Van Hook 72-1411H,

30989, SI/NC, EOG, Van Hook 73-1411H,

30988, SI/NC, EOG, Van Hook 74-14H,

30981, SI/NC, EOG, Van Hook 75-1514H,
30980, SI/NC, EOG, Van Hook 76-15H,

30979, SI/NC, EOG, Van Hook 78-15H,

30978, SI/NC, EOG, Van Hook 79-15H,

30969, conf, EOG, Van Hook 47-3626H,

30968, conf, EOG, Van Hook 48-3626H,

30967, PNC, EOG, Van Hook 49-3626H,

30958, conf, EOG, Van Hook 66-3606H,

30957, conf, EOG, Van Hook 67-3606H,

30956, conf, EOG, Van Hook 68-3606H,

30951, conf, EOG, Van Hook 70-1411H,

30950, conf, EOG, Van Hook 71-31411H,

 

*************************************************
Van Hook Permits
2014 (list is complete)

29089, SI/NC, EOG,

29088, SI/NC, EOG,

29087, 1,040, EOG,Van Hook 134-1319H, 60 stages, 20 million lbs, t8/15; cum 22K 9/15;

29056, conf, EGO, Van Hook 25-1319H, producing, a big well,

29055, conf, EGO, Van Hook 132-1319H, producing, a big well,

29054, 613, EGO, Van Hook 34-1319H, 55 stages, 17 million lbs, t8/15; cum 87K 12/15;

****************************************************
Fertile Permits
2016

33021, 1,062, EOG, Fertile 86-0701H, Parshall, t8/18; cum 186K 2/20;

33020,

33019,

Fertile Permits
2015 (list is complete)

30386, loc, EOG, Fertile 66-0410H,

30385, SI/NC, EOG, Fertile 67-0410H,

30384, SI/NC, EOG, Fertile 68-0410H,

Fertile Permits 
2014 (list is complete)
need to check spacing on these wells

30314, SI/NC, EOG,

30296, SI/NC, EOG,

30293, SI/NC, EOG,

30185, dry, EOG, Fertile 78-0905H, dropped from EOG drilling plans to accommodate larger infill-well spacing;

30184, SI/NC, EOG,

30130, 888, EOG, Fertile 62-0410H, 45 stages, 7.7 million lbs, t7/15; cum 62K 9/15;

30129, 740, EOG, Fertile 61-0410H, 44 stages, 7.6 million lbs, t7/15; cum 44K 9/15;

30128, 390, EOG, Fertile 62-0410H, 50 stages, 4.6 million lbs, t7/15; cum 32K 9/15;

30127, SI/NC, EOG,

30126, SI/NC, EOG,

29915, SI/NC, EOG,

29838, SI/NC, EOG,

29837, SI/NC, EOG,

29833, SI/NC, EOG,

29832, SI/NC, EOG,

29823, SI/NC, EOG,

29822, dry, EOG, Fertile 75-0905H, dropped from EOG drilling plans to accommodate larger infill-well spacing;

29821, SI/NC, EOG,

29590, TA, EOG, Fertile 57-0333H, future use of this well will be completed once oil prices improve

29589, TA, EOG, Fertile 58-0333H,

29588, TA, EOG, Fertile 59-0333H,

29080, PNC, EOG, Fertile 58-0333HC,

28454, PNC, EOG, Fertile 59-0333HC,

28453, PNC, EOG, Fertile 57-0333HC,

28452, PNC, EOG, Fertile 56-0333HC,

28535, TA, EOG, Fertile 55-0333H,

28434, TA, EOG, Fertile 102-0333H,

 *****************************************

Wayzetta Permits
2015 (the list is complete)

32299, conf, EOG, Wayzetta 405-0817H, 
32298, conf, EOG, Wayzetta 404-0817H, 

32194, conf, EOG, Wayzetta 76-0608H,

32193, conf, EOG, Wayzetta 77-0608H,

32192, conf, EOG, Wayzetta 78-0608H,

31352, 899, EOG, Wayzetta 97-3019H, Parshall, t11/16; cum 181K 2/20;

31323, SI/NC, EOG, Wayzetta 99-3019H,

31322, SI/NC, EOG, Wayzetta 400-3019H,

31309, SI/NC, EOG, Wayzetta 98-3019H,

31308, SI/NC, EOG, Wayzetta 96-3019H,

30926, 605, EOG, Wayzetta 67-2536H, t9/15; cum 4K 9/15;

30857, PNC, EOG, Wayzetta 66-2536H,

30748, PNC, EOG, Wayzetta 62-2532H, 

30747, PNC, EOG, Wayzetta 63-2532H,

30746, PNC, EOG, Wayzetta 64-2532H,

30745, PNC, EOG, Wayzetta 65-2532H,

30693, 163, EOG, Wayzetta 69-2531H, t10/15; cum --

30692, PNC, EOG, Wayzetta 68-2531H,

Wayzetta Permits 
2014 (list is complete)

28746, 708, EOG, Wayzetta 53-3334HX, 34 stages, 4.6 million lbs, t12/14; cum 100K 2/20;

28034, dry (monitoring), EOG, Wayzetta 55-34M -- a monitoring well; expect no production, 

27776, TA/811, EOG, Wayzetta 52-3334H, t12/14; cum 81K 9/15;

27775, dry, EOG, Wayzetta 53-3334H, decision to TA June, 2014, consider converting the well to a water supply well;

27774, TA/739, EOG, Wayzetta 60-3334H, t11/14; cum 54K 7/16;

27765, TA/722, EOG, Wayzetta 57-3433H, t11/14; cum 76K 9/15;

27764, TA/834, EOG, Wayzetta 54-34H, t11/14; cum 62K 9/15;

27751, TA/799, EOG, Wayzetta 59-3334H, 29 stages, 7 million lbs, t11/14; cum 85K 9/15;

27750, AB/467, EOG, Wayzetta 58-33H, t11/14; cum 39K 9/15;

27749, TA/602, EOG, Wayzetta 51-33H, t11/14; cum 56K 9/15;

Wayzetta Wells 
2013 (list is complete)

Wayzetta wells starting with 2013 wells not listed below (for 2013, the list of Wayzetta wells is complete):
25336, 2,219, EOG, Wayzetta 137-2226H, t9/13; cum 648K 3/17;
26929, TA/IAW/133, EOG, Wayzetta 148-0311H, t6/14; cum 15K 10/15; sporadic producer,
25093, 745, EOG, Wayzetta 150-159H, t8/13; cum 799K 2/20;
25343, 730, EOG, Wayzetta 154-0605H, t9/13; cum 775K 2/20;
24960, 1,442, EOG, Wayzetta 155-2636H, t7/13; cum 549K 3/17;
25662, 1,084, EOG, Wayzetta 158-1617H, t12/13; cum 342K 3/17;
25661, 65, EOG, Wayzetta 25-16171H, t12/13; cum 287K 3/17;
25749, 790, EOG, Wayzetta 28-1424H, t3/14; cum 300K 3/17;
25747, 915, EOG, Wayzetta 29-1424H, t4/14; cum 255K 3/17;
25646, 607, EOG, Wayzetta 30-3230H, t11/13; cum 640K 3/17;
25647, 110, EOG, Wayzetta 31-3230H, t10/13; cum 798K 2/20;
25703, PNC, EOG, Wayzetta 33-2829HC; no IP, cum 30K first month; then PNC; the name of the well will be changed to Wayzetta 34-2829HX
25852, 553, EOG, Wayzetta 33-2829H, t11/13; cum 330K 3/17;
25757, 989, EOG, Wayzetta 35-1920H, t1/14; cum 469K 3/17;
25704, PNC, EOG, Wayzetta 34-2829HC, no IP, cum 31K first month; then PNC; the name of the well will be changed to Wayzetta 34-2829HX
25853, 1,203, EOG, Wayzetta 34-2829H, t12/13; cum 436K 3/17;
25785, 1682, EOG, Wayzetta 36-1920H, t1/14; cum 515K 3/17;
25663, 219, EOG, Wayzetta 37-1617H, t12/13; cum 417K 3/17;
25748, 744, EOG, Wayzetta 38-1424H, t3/14; cum 279K 3/17;
26213, 1,101, EOG, Wayzetta 39-1424H, t3/14; cum 395K 3/17;
26212, 1,967, EOG, Wayzetta 40-1424, t3/14; cum 400K 3/17;
26028, 1,142, EOG, Wayzetta 41-2117H, t12/13; cum 831K 2/20;
26217, 424, EOG, Wayzetta 44-0311H, t5/14; cum 534K 3/17;
26216, 1,440, EOG, Wayzetta 43-0311H, t6/14; cum 3434K 3/17;
26459, 1,182, EOG, Wayzetta 44-0311H, t5/14; cum 571K 3/17;
26458, 1,374, EOG, Wayzetta 45-0311H, t6/14; cum 648K 3/17;
26661, dry (monitoring), EOG, Wayzetta 46-11M, a stratigraphic test well; not for production;
27094, 918, EOG, Wayzetta 47-35H, t4/14; cum 221K 3/17;
27095, 525, EOG, Wayzetta 48-35H, t5/14; cum 130K 3/17;

Wayzetta Wells

Prior to 2013 (the list should be complete)

18315, AB/102, t4/12; cum 80K 1/16;
18301, AB/68, t12/09; cum 130K 5/16;
19125, 547, t10/10; cum 87K 6/18; -- outlier
17019, 732, t6/09; cum 529K 6/18;
18863, PNC, Wayzetta 106-17H,
20242, PNC, Wayzetta 107-29H,
18767, 345, t7/10; cum 114K 6/18;
17127, 1,714, t11/08; cum 739K 6/18;
17083, 956, t9/08; cum 446K 6/18;
20541, AB/drl - conf - producing, (3/14) Wayzetta 114-0311H, producing as of 6/14; 7K cum;
17142, 1,055, t9/08; cum 597K 6/18;
21378, A/IA/663, t3/12; cum 392K 6/18; inactive 6/14; back on status 12/14;
17281, 1,320, t10/08; cum 466K 6/18;
19186, IA/139, t11/10; cum 38K 6/18; -- outlier?
17028, 2,207, t10/08; cum 647K 6/18;
19317, IAW/213, t11/10; cum 54K 715; -- outlier?
17152, 937, t7/09; cum 670K 6/18;
21239, 1,315, t3/12; cum 829K 6/18;
21194, 775, t3/12; cum 440K 6/18;
17834, 839, t7/09; cum 509K 6/18;
17732, 895, t6/09; cum 462K 6/18;
17129, 610, t12/08; cum 563K 6/18;
17121, 800, t8/09; cum 509K 6/18;
17366, 553, t11/08; cum 509K 6/18;
16973, 1,252, t6/08; cum 446K 6/18;
16784, 1,565, t5/08; cum 558K 6/18;
17170, 667, t7/08; cum 492K 6/18;
17042, 492, t11/08; cum 540K 6/18;
17044, 1,519, t11/08; cum 549K 6/18;
16991, 1,383, t7/08; cum 826K 6/18;
16733, SWD,
18807, 467, t6/10; cum 76K 6/18; was taken off-line 3/16; came back on line 3/18;
18850, 195, t7/10; cum 105K 6/18; came off line 1/17; back on line 3/18;
22689, 1,910, t2/13; cum 730K 6/18; 50K at time of original frack back in 2013;
18808, AB/665, t11/10; cum 120K 10/14;
22704, 926, t1/13; cum 623K 6/18;
17478, 238, t9/09; cum 473K 6/18;
22703, 1,185, t1/13; cum 391K 6/18;
16961, 1,064, t4/08; cum 585K 6/18;

*********************************************

Parshall Oil Wells

2015

None as of November 23, 2015

Parshall Oil Wells

2014

30334, loc,
30333, loc,
30332, conf,
30331, conf,
30323, loc,
30322, conf,
29637, SI/NC,
29636, SI/NC,
29635, SI/NC,
29526, 734, EOG, Parshall 90-3029H, t7/15; cum 80K 12/15;
29525, 445, EOG, Parshall 89-3029H, t7/15; cum 64K 12/15;
29300, TA,
29299, TA,
29298, TA,
29263, 1,272, 
29262, 1,488,
29261, 914,
29190, TA,
29127, TA,
29126, TA,
29105, TA,
29104, TA,
29103, TA,
28740, TA,
28739, TA,
28738, PNC,
28728, TA,
28727, TA,
28726, TA,
28725, PNC,
28714, 541, EOG, Parshall 93-2827H, t2/15; cum 92K 12/15;
28672, 335,
28671, 565,
28670, 843,
28639, 848,
28638, 587,
28630, 543,
28608, TA,
28603, 942,
28602, 1,031,
28525, 1,227,
28524, 315,
28521, 562,
28404, TA,
28403, PNC,
28402, TA,
28401, TA,
28317, 853,
28316, 305,
28315, 354,
28306, TA,
28060, TA, EOG, Parshall 159-2127H,
28014, 221,
28013, 462, EOG, Parshall 79-12H, t11/14; cum 87K 12/15;
28012, 865, EOG, Parshall 80-21H, t11/14; cum 160K 12/15;
27859, 823, EOG, Parshall 57-0806H, 
27858, 236, EOG, Parshall 152-0806H, 
27857, 435, EOG, Parshall 56-0806H, 
27854, 1,433, EOG, Parshall 37-0806H, 
27853, 392, EOG, Parshall 146-0806H,  
27852, 1,544, EOG, Parshall 36-0806H, 
27850, dry (monitoring), EOG, Parshall 408-15M, a monitoring well, no production planned,
27759, dry, EOG, Parshall 157-2127H, no production data,
27758, 2,454, EOG, Parshall 72-2127H, t9/14; cum 104K 12/15;
27757, 1,174, EOG, Parshall 73-2127H, t9/14; cum 175K 12/15;
27756, 863, EOG, Parshall 74-2127H, t9/14; cum 134K 12/15;
27755, 2,100, EOG, Parshall 75-2127H, t9/14; cum 152K 12/15;
27445, TA, EOG, Parshall 158-20H, no production data,
27444, TA, EOG, Parshall 78-20H, no production data,
27442, 394, EOG, Parshall 66-14H, t7/14; cum 87K 12/15;
27441, 446, EOG, Parshall 65-14H, t7/14; cum 94K 12/15;
27438, 761, EOG, Parshall 64-16H, t8/14; cum 115K 12/15;
27437, 1,204, EOG, Parshall 63-16H, t8/14; cum 116K 8/15;
27391, TA, EOG, Parshall 68-1820H, no production data,
27390, TA, EOG, Parshall 69-1820H, no production data,
27365, 907, EOG, Parshall 77-22H, t9/14; cum 65K 12/15;
27364, 822, EOG, Parshall 76-22H, t9/14; cum 81K 12/15;

Parshall Wells

2013

27292, 844, EOG, Parshall 62-15H, t8/14; cum 82K 8/15;
27291, 495, EOG, Parshall 61-15H, t8/14; cum 76K 8/15;
27207, 538, EOG, Parshall 5-1114H, t8/14; cum 124K 8/15;
27206, 277, EOG, Parshall 51-1114H, t8/14; cum 93K 8/15;
27205, 1,205, EOG, Parshall 52-1114H, t7/14; um 105K 8/15;
27160, 1,299, EOG, Parshall 48-2226H, 8/14; cum 151K 8/15;
27159, 715, EOG, Parshall 49-2226H, t8/14; cum 163K 8/15;
27158, 902, EOG, Parshall 47-2226H, t8/14; cum 155K 8/15;
27124, 1,053, EOG, Parshall 43-2117H, t2/15; cum 82K 8/15;
27123, 1,083, EOG, Parshall 42-2117H, t2/15; cum 168K 8/15;
27117, 1,357, EOG, Parshall 53-1014H, t8/14; cum 162K 8/15;
27116, 845, EOG, Parshall 54-1041H, t7/14; cum 80K 8/15;
27115, 630, EOG, Parshall 55-1014H, t7/14; cum 183K 8/15;
27044, 931, EOG, Parshall 44-1004H, t8/14; cum 275K 8/15;
27043, 439, EOG, Parshall 45-1004H, t8/14; cum 121K 8/15;
27042, 519, EOG, Parshall 46-1004H, t8/14; cum 180K 8/15;
27037, 445, EOG, Parshall 40-1509H, t8/14; cum 145K 8/15;
27036, 137, EOG, Parshall 41-1509H, t8/14; cum 102K 8/15;
27035, 441, EOG, Parshall 60-1509H, t8/14; cum 163K 8/15;
25254, 1,047, EOG, Parshall 34-0509H, t11/13; cum 182K 10/14;
25253, 1,908, EOG, Parshall 35-0509H, t10/13; cum 191K 10/14;

Parshall Wells

2012

24583, 1,950, EOG, Parshall 25-3032H, t6/13; cum 499K 12/15;
24582, 2,119, EOG, Parshall 22-3032H, t6/13; cum 448K 12/15;
24281, 1,833, EOG, Parshall 32-0225H, t3/13; cum 523K 12/15;

News and Updates, Parshall Oil Field In General

November 3, 2013: Mike Filloon on sand and fracking. 

July 14, 2013: Mike Filloon continues his analysis of the incredible Parshall oil field.

July 9, 2013: Mike Filloon updates the incredible Parshall oil field.

March 28, 2010: Update on Fertile Township, Parshall Oil Field, FBIR

March 25, 2010:  See EOG news below, dated March 15, 2010. EOG was granted two more permits for a section in the Parshall that already has a producing well: #18850 and #18767, in section 8-153N-90W. The first well was # 17127. The #17127 is in the NWNW corner; the #18767 is in the NENW corner; and, the #18850 is in the SWSE corner. The #17127 had an IP of almost 2,000 bopd. The names of the three wells: Wayzetta 11-08H; Wayzetta 108-08H; and, Wayzetta 129-08H.

March 21, 2010: Update on Fertile Township, Parshall Oil Field, FBIR

March 15, 2010: This blog was one of the first by an armchair amateur, if not the first, to point out that EOG plans to drill three wells in almost every section in the Parshall. It's starting:  EOG was granted two permits, both in section 30, 153-90. There is already a producing well in that section (17129, IP - 610), and all adjoining sections have producing wells. Are these two more Middle Bakken (MB) wells? Unlikely. More likely an Upper TFS well and a Lower TFS well.

March 2, 2010: There is a backlog of wells that still need to be fracked in Fertile township.

The Parshall Oil Field

AAPG Foundation on Michael S Johnson, contributions to discovering the Parshall oil field. 

Wiki.

The Parshall oil field is one of two of the most prolific oil fields in the Bakken play in the current boom; the other is the Sanish oil field. The field is "owned" by EOG.

Michael Johnson is credited with discovering the Parshall oil field after comparing the geologic fingerprint of the highly productive Elm Coulee field in Montana with geologic fingerprint of the area in the area around Stanley, ND. Mr Johnson was honored as the 2009 AAPG Explorer of the Year for this discovery. (AAPG member Dick Findley received the 2006 AAPG Explorer of the Year honor for the Elm Coulee discovery, discovered in the 1990's. For most on Richard Findley, see this 2008 Seeking Alpha article -- absolutely prescient.)

EOG's discovery well in the Parshall was drilled in 2006: Parshall 1-36H, #16164; the lateral was about half the distance of present day "short laterals." Pressures were so high in that initial well, that it blew out when the bit was 1,200 feet into the Middle Bakken; it eventually settled down to 460 bopd.

The Parshall oil field is a rectangular field, with four townships running north to south, with a few sections from adjoining townships on the west and east. The southernmost township, Fertile township, is entirely within the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Due to bureaucratic necessities, the development of oil activity was delayed in the reservation but is now catching up. (By the way, this will benefit EOG, KOG, and Slawson, as well as others.)

There are 211 sections in the Parshall oil field, and it appears that a few sections will likely be added to this oil field in the near future. The town of Parshall is located in Parshall township, the third township down (counting from top to bottom), and is inside the reservation. The population of Parshall was 981 in the 2000 census according to Wikipedia.  Something tells me it's a bit bigger these days. (Quiz: what are the names of the three tribes that make up the Three Affiliated Tribes in the FBIR? Answer at end of posting.)

Of the four main townships, again running north to south, the southernmost is perhaps the most active right now, but again that was due to bureaucratic delays. Townships 1, 2, and 3 pretty much have one well in each section, whereas township 4, has only nine (9) producing wells but is very active.

By township, north to south (as of June 8, 2010):

Township #1 Austin township, 154-90, the northernmost: 36 producing wells; 3 confidential; one being drilled.
Township #2, Wayzetta township, 153-90: 38 producing wells, 0 rigs on site, 5 confidential, 1 drilling.
Township #3, Parshall township, 152-90: 38 producing wells, 0 confidential. Most of the sections are inside the reservation.
Township #4, Fertile township, 151-90, the southernmost: 14 producing wells, 5 wells being drilled, 0 sections with rigs on site, 5 confidential, and 5 permits with no activity yet. All sections are within the reservation.

The remaining sections (67) in the adjoining townships have 45 producing wells, 6 confidential, 0 drilling, and 0 rig on site.

How productive has the Parshall oil field been to date (Feb 2010)? Austin Township, 154-90,  has 35 wells that, to date, have each averaged $18,047,922 at the wellhead. The township has generated $630 million, so far, at the wellhead and is currently adding over $30 million to its total gross revenue each month, according to "Larry," at Bakken Shale Discussion Groups, February 28, 2010.

Answer to quiz: the Three Affiliated Tribes are the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation.

New permits since original posting: [IPs and totals updated on Aug 1, 2011]
18767, 345, EOG, Wayzetta 108-08H, Mar 3, 2010,  cum 108K 5/17;
18800, 1,117, EOG, Fertile, 38-20H, Mar 12, 2010, cum 201K 5/17;
18807, AB/467, EOG. Wayzetta 111-30H, Mar 15, 2010, cum 75K 2/15;
18808, IAW/665, EOG, Wayzetta 142-30H, Mar 15, 2010, cum 120K 2/14;
18827, 732, EOG, Liberty 10-36H, Mar 18, 2010, cum 301K 5/17;
18828, 1,066, EOG, Liberty LR 16-36H, Mar 18, 2010, cum 376K 5/17;
18863, PNC, EOG, Wayzetta 107-17H, 
18912, 442, EOG, Austin 125-30H, Apr 13, 2010, 125K 5/17;
18913, EXP, EOG, Austin 106-30, Apr 13, 2010

Production figures are updated periodically.

BEXP and Bragging Rights

It's a quiet Sunday evening. Not much going, but the overseas markets are open and oil is trading a bit higher and is now back over $80.

When it's a slow day in the Bakken, one can rely on discussions of initial production (IP) numbers on other sites; I'm as guilty as any -- probably guiltier than most. (... if there is such a thing as more guilty or less guilty.)

There's such a discussion on the Bakken Shale Discussion Board about BEXP's IPs right now. I pretty much ignore those discussions any more. However, the comment that was made this evening is very interesting.

"Doc" notes that BEXP is often accused of bragging about their IPs. "Doc" talks about that, which is interesting in its own right, but even more interesting is "Doc's" concluding observation: it's not the IPs that excite him so much, it's the fact that BEXP has drilled only 19 locations in the Bakken, and the CEO says the company has 422 more sites yet to drill, all of which are in areas of development, not exploratory (or wildcat) locations.

Canadian Oil Sands and Other Topics

This is one of the best blogs I have come across in a long, long time. If you are interested in the oil industry but have eclectic tastes, I highly recommend you spend some time exploring this site.

The author of the blog is a "vice president of a resource company" based in Canada. The site started out as an "energy site." Later, the author focused on language and learning, but has since returned to a focus on petroleum.

His background is in the Canadian petroleum industry, so that's where his focus is, but essays regarding global energy trends are very enlightening.

Kittleson Slough Update

Updates

May 22, 2012: Three wells reported IPs today; they are three of the 8 wells on 2560-acre spacing; see April 30, 2012 entry below.

• 19942, 754, EOG, Lostwood 1-1201H,
  19943, 677, EOG, Lostwood 18-1224H,
  19944, 212, EOG, Lostwood 2-1301H,

April 30, 2012: Eight Kittleson Slough wells on 2,560-acre spacing. 

Original Post

The Kittleson Slough is a small oil field, currently only 47 sections, tucked in between the Cottonwood on the west and the Clear Water on the east. (Which reminds me: I suppose I should update the Clear Water -- it is a very, very active EOG field.) (These fields are north and slightly northeast of the prolific Sanish and Parshall fields. These fields start to push the eastern edge of the North Dakota Bakken.)

The Cottonwood is a new field ("discovered" by Fidelity a couple years ago) and has been a mediocre field to date. The Clear Water is gaining a lot of headlines with all the EOG activity currently going on there.

What might make the Kittleson Slough interesting to follow is this: a) as stated it sits between a couple of fields with a bit of interest; and, b) Slawson has several wells currently on the confidential list. These wells do not have release dates as yet. It's my understanding that if a well does not have a release date, the well is not completed. Does this mean these wells are drilled and they are waiting to be fracked? I don't know.

But Slawson has had some interesting plays and it will be interesting to see what Slawson can do in the KS. The KS has historically been less than stellar. The few wells that I have data for reported IPs of well under 500. It appears that IPs in the range of 250 are to be expected.

Approximately one-half of two townships make up the KS: 158-91 (north) and 157-91 (south).  Slawson has a line of wells, stretching west to east, in the southern half (update March 25, 2012 -- note all the PNC permits):

17548, PNC, section 17, Menace 1-17H,
17546, PNC, section 19, Probe 1-19H,
17588, PNC, section 18, Scout 1-18H,
17549, PNC, section 15, Bonzai 1-15H, 
17474, PNC, section 14, Sorcerer 1-14H,
17479, section 13, Raven 1-13H, confidential list, no date
17385, 303, section 21, Polaris 1-21H, 303, Oct 16, 2009
17597, PNC, section 20, Sergeant 1-20H,
18068, 236, section 16, Colt 1-16H, 236, Sept 28, 2009

For more on Kittleson Slough and Slawson permits/wells, click on this link. 

Incidentally, regarding IPs: all things being equal, I would assume a privately held company would like to report IPs on the low side so as not to drive up lease rates. I can think of no reason why privately held companies would want to use methods that "artificially inflate" IPs. Publicly held companies, on the other hand, are caught in a bind. Reporting high IPs leads to higher lease rates, but it also leads to more interest in their publicly-traded shares. I would assume that if Slawson keeps drilling these wells, they are economically viable.

Hess has a long lateral in the Kittleson Slough, 17343, RS-Agribank A-157-91-1102H-1, which reported an IP of 223.  A BEXP short lateral, 17090, Johnson 1-33H, reported an IP of 568. The Bakken Shale Discussion Board noted that the Johnson 1-33H was "hyped" by BEXP and many folks were disappointed by that well. It was back in 2008 when price of oil plummeted. Hmmm. Was the Johnson 1-33 named after the 2009 explorer of the year, Mr Michael Johnson, who is credited with discovering the Parshall oil field, based on his studies of the Elm Coulee?

Pipeline Capacity

Update on pipeline capacity:

A short article in Oil and Gas Journal points out that due to limited pipeline capacity, CLR is reporting initial production (IP) numbers based on one-day production. According to OGJ, "[t]he company said that its Hendrickson 1-36H well in McKenzie County, ND, set a company operated IP mark of 1,990 boepd on a 7-day test. The well’s best single-day rate was 2,105 boepd. However, the company will report single-day initial production tests for Bakken wells because gas pipeline capacity limits are restricting 7-day rates at some wells, if only in the first few weeks." 

In late 2009, regional analysts opined that with new pipelines and the EOG railhead at Stanley, pipeline capacity would finally accommodate daily production. At the time I stated that if pipeline capacity met requirements, the balance would not last long. The fact that CLR even mentions pipeline capacity issues suggests that we may already be seeing production surpassing infrastructure's capacity to ship oil out of state.  My gut feeling is that it's a local issue: some areas of the Bakken with more imbalance than others.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that companies were starting to go back into Montana. For folks new to the Bakken, it was in 2000 that horizontal drilling opened the Elm Coulee Creek oil field in Montana, and initiated the interest in the Bakken. The Elm Coulee drilling continued through 2006 when the producers moved across the state border and began drilling on the North Dakota side. The OGJ article linked above states that CLR is going back into Montana's Elm Coulee with at least one rig drilling 320-acre spaced wells.  

CLR states that 81% of its 488,500 net acres in North Dakota are undeveloped. For Montana, 60% of CLR's 163,500 net acres are undeveloped.  



Call Me, Blondie

Over-Hyped Bakken? See Wall Street Journal Today

Another article in Wall Street Journal today, February 26, 2010.

I cannot explain the sudden excitement in the media unless "crazy numbers" is circulating among the oil industry experts.

Yesterday we had a Yahoo.com front page story reporting on the nearly quarter billion dollars going to the Native Americans on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, and today we have a full page spread on the Bakken in the nation's number one newspaper.

My hunch: the USGS's estimate on the percent recoverable oil in the Bakken was underestimated by a significant amount.

[Some folks won't understand the analogy, but here it is anyway. When Apple Computer, Inc., had only 2 percent penetration in the computer market, most analysts felt Apple would fail as a company; Steve Jobs noted that he could double the company's size and profitability by just getting 4 percent penetration. Apple now has about 5 percent market penetration for computers and Apple's market cap at $180 billion is not all that different from Microsoft's $250 billion market cap. AAPL's P/E is slightly higher at 20, but certainly not that different than MSFT's P/E of 16.

My point is this: if producers are excited over a 2 percent recovery rate (the USGS survey prediction), imagine the excitement if the producers can actually get 4 percent recovery. Four percent recovery ain't much, but it doubles the total amount of production. Just saying.]

Oh, one more thing. Once the wells are drilled, it doesn't cost nearly as much to go back in with a workover rig and fracking crew. The producers are already doing that on some wells. One well to watch will be Hess' RS-Brady well to see if Hess goes back in and re-fracs this well.

Update: Bakken Gets Even More Crowded

I think I first saw this development when I updated the Alger field a few weeks ago, and among those following the Bakken, I think I was one of the first to notice it (pat on back). I could be wrong; I forget how I first became aware that two producers were about to put three laterals in the same section. There was some "back and forth" at the NDIC, and I don't think it's over yet, but it appears there is a recommendation that the request by one of the producers to revoke the permit of a competing producer be dismissed. Is that confusing?

Bottom line: if the request is dismissed by the NDIC, there will be three laterals in one section by two different producers.

One would thing that with all the drilling that needs to be done, producers would not fight over one section. On the other hand, it certainly suggests no producer is going to cede any of its acreage to another producer.

Specifics regarding the permit numbers, names of wells, and names of the producers are at the link above.

A Quarter Billion Dollars in Oil Money for Native Americans in North Dakota?

This story was all over the internet, February 24, 2010. It was the headline story on Yahoo news. This story is about the oil-rich Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in the Williston Basin. The big fields inside the reservation: a little bit of the Sanish, about half of the Parshall, and all of the Big Bend and Van Hook fields, as well as the Antelope, Mandaree, and Moccasin fields.

Deep in the story:

"Since the boom began, lease payments of more than $179 million have been paid to the tribe and its members on about half of the reservation land, tribal records show. Millions of dollars more in royalties and tax revenue are also rolling in."

$1 million/month is now flowing into the treasury of the Three Affiliated Tribes. Income from oil development goes to 4,200 tribal members who live on the reservation and 3,000 who live elsewhere. That's more than half the total tribal membership. The drilling program on the reservation has just begun; it was slowed significantly by a 49-step bureaucratic process that required Senatorial intervention to expedite.

How good is this going to be? Look at the numbers. Last year there were ten (10) producing wells on the reservation. This year there are 39 producing wells, and 82 ready-to-go permits.

To date, as noted above, tribal members have received more than $180 million in lease money, but over time production income will far exceed lease income.

Is the Bakken over-hyped? Probably not for these folks!

Oh, one more thing: the boom has just begun. We are only in year four of a projected 30-year boom.

(I could be wrong, but it's my perception that everyone in North Dakota is thrilled how all this has worked out -- that the Native Americans are participating in this boom.)

(Actually, this is kind of sad, takes the luster off: $250,000,000 divided by 10,000 tribal members = $25,000 / member. Spread of 20 years, that's $1250 per member per year, or about $104 per month.)



Money, Money, Money, ABBA

97

97 active rigs in North Dakota today. This sets a new record  high for the current oil boom that began in North Dakota in 2006.

Yesterday, NDIC reported 95 active rigs, which tied the previous record: here is what I posted yesterday about that announcement.

Update, February 26, 2010: for the past couple of days, the NDIC reports that there are 96 active rigs in North Dakota, one less than the "97" reported above (first posted February 23, 2010). The number of active rigs will fluctuate up and down by two or three on any given day. Rigs are not considered active when they are being moved from site to site. For all I know there could be four more rigs moving in and rigging up (MIRU) as "we speak," and we could see a pop to 100 next week. More likely, however, we will see the numbers fluctuate up and down by one or two rigs going forward. February 26, 2010.

Sanish Field Update

February 22, 2010:

The Sanish oil field is one of the two most prolific fields in the Williston Basin, the other being the Parshall. The Sanish and the Parshall oil fields sit right next to each other, like twins; the Sanish is on the west; the Parshall is on the east.

The Sanish is a rectangular field. The field encompasses four entire townships (154-91, 154-92, 153-91, and 153-92) except for 3 sections not in 154-92; and parts of four other townships (153-93, 52-91, 152-92, and 152-93). The latter three townships are in the northern edge of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation (FBIR). In all, the Sanish has about 192 sections. The very interesting Alger oil field borders the Sanish on the north.

There are no hamlets, villages, towns, or cities in the Sanish. The city of Stanley, ND, is eight miles north of the Sanish field. If you drive south out of Stanley on State Highway 8, the Sanish field will on your right (to the west) and the Parshall field will be on your left, to the east, over a couple of sections. The highway is entirely within the Sanish oil field at that point, but it almost divides the Sanish and Parshall oil fields. State Highway 8 may be the most traveled road in North Dakota; certainly it has the most truck traffic of any highway in the state.

Currently there are 81 producing wells off the confidential list; there are an additional 40 wells on the confidential list, all of which will come off the list this year (2010).

There are currently 11 rigs actively drilling in the Sanish (February 22, 2010) and most of them will  move to other sites in the Sanish. There are currently 13 permits in the Sanish, all of which will probably be drilled this year.

Although Slawson, Fidelity, Murex, Zenergy and others have wells in the Sanish, this field is "owned" by Whiting.

The Parshall and the Sanish remain the most exciting fields in the Williston Basin (in North Dakota).


 February 13, 2010:

The Sanish is one of the two most prolific fields in the Williston Oil Basin in the current oil boom. The other is the Parshall. These two fields sit alongside each other, north of the river, and east of Williston.  It's hard to believe but there are no villages, towns, or cities in this field -- at least none big enough to show up on the NDIC GIS map. That map shows "urban centers" as small as Springbrook, North Dakota, which has a population of 26. Yes, 26. At least according to Wikipedia.

The Sanish is a roughly rectangular field comprised of about 192 sections. Except for three sections, the entirety of four townships are within the field: 154-91, 154-92, 153-91, and 153-92. In addition, there are a few sections in four other townships.

On February 13, 2010, this is the breakdown of activity in the Sanish: 75 producing wells, 40 wells on the confidential list, eleven (11) wells being drilled, and 15 new permits.

The producing wells are split about evenly between long laterals and short laterals.

Who are the operators/producers in the Sanish?

154-91: Murex and Whiting
154-92: Whiting and Fidelity
153-91:  Whiting
153-92: Whiting, some Fidelity

Here are the "runs" of 19 wells for the month of December, 2009. Again, these are only 19 wells. Remember, there are 115 producing wells (40 on the confidential list) and 11 new wells being drilled. I am not aware of any "infill" wells being drilled.

You know, as I ramble and as I opine, the "runs" of these 19 wells are spectacular, but these are only 19 wells, and that represents only about 10% of the total number of wells in this one field.

Flashback: North Dakota Oil Production

June 16, 2008: North Dakota Industrial Commission reports that North Dakota oil wells pumped an average of 150,578 barrels a day in April (2008). The previous high of 147,774 barrels a day was set in August 1984.

150,000 barrels of oil per day in April, 2008. And that barely beat the record set 24 years earlier.

The estimate is 350,000 barrels of oil per day in early 2010.

My guess is that we will approach 400,000 barrels by the end of 2010 if a) price of oil holds; and, b) capacity of pipelines/railroads can maintain that support.

Doomsday: US States

Connecticut: back in the news. Posted October 7, 2018.

New Jersey: they kicked the can down the road for another year. I don't think on-line tax sales will "save the state." If they get through this fiscal year without another fiscal crisis, I would be surprised. If they do, next year will be much worse. Posted July 1, 2018.

Illinois: residents fleeing. State now drops to #6 in population, dropping below population of Pennsylvania. Posted December 21, 2017.

Connecticut: the state's economy is in crisis. January 9, 2018.

Connecticut: only $3.5 billion shortfall? Shouldn't be that difficult. Just raise taxes. Hartford expected to declare bankruptcy in November, one month from now -- WSJ. October 2, 2017. 

Illinois: long story in Chicago Tribune today; homeowners fed up with property taxes; leaving the state; data points, posted September 30, 2017:

• "not just property taxes, but all of them"
• in 2016, Illinois lost 37,508 people, putting the state's population at its lowest level in nearly a decade
• third consecutive year the state has lost more residents than any other state
• the state's population count for 2017 will be released in December
• Illinois, two years without a budget
• this past summer: Illinois lawmakers passed a spending plan that involved a 32% income tax hike for residents
• before the tax hike, Illinois was ranked #46 among the states for highest tax burden (Forbes)
• most people move for employment reasons -- according to consultant

So, we have a triple-edged sword:

• people who are employable (and pay taxes) are leaving; people who are unemployable (and don't pay taxes) are staying
• people who can afford to move (those who pay taxes) are leaving; people who cannot afford to move (non-property owners, lower income, those who do not pay taxes) are staying
• whatever the reason, the tax base is declining, meaning that those left behind will have a higher tax burden

Illinois: unpaid bill backlog hits a record $16 billion. September 20, 2017.

Illinois: needs a half year of taxes just to pay the bills -- June 27, 2017. Illinois is functionally bankrupt, and the only good news is that Illinois favorite son Barack Obama is no longer in the White House to bail them out.

Illinois: Illinois' comptroller says the state is now in "massive crisis mode."

New court orders mean her office must pay out more each month than Illinois receives in revenue. The state must prioritize what gets paid as Illinois nears its third year without a state budget. A mix of state law, court orders and pressure from credit rating agencies requires some items be paid first. Those include debt and pension payments, state worker paychecks and some school funding. And, oh, oh, oh, ObamaCare: a recent court order regarding money owed for Medicaid bills means mandated payments will eat up 100 percent of Illinois' monthly revenue.

Illinois: could Illinois be the first state to file for bankruptcy? -- CBSNews.

Illinois: unable to reach a budget deal; credit rating lowered to just one notch above junk.

Connecticut. Fox News, May 27, 2017. Situation becoming more dire.

Connecticut. WSJ. May 19, 2017. $400 million shortfall. $5.1 billion deficit projected over next two fiscal years: fixed costs -- pension obligations, health-care expenses, and debt servicing. Population continues to shrink; shrinking since 2013. The top rate state income tax is only 6.99%.

Connecticut. WSJ. February 4, 2017. Connecticut governor seeks to shift teacher pension cost to towns, cities. Data points:

• governor wants to shift $400 million in annual teacher pension costs from state to cities
• states faces a budget deficit of about $1.7 billion for fiscal year that begins in July
• onus on property taxpayers

Illinois: dire. Reuters -- posted January, 2017

• unpaid bills could surpass $13 billion; currently $10.6 billion (late 2016)
• budget deficit could grow beyond $5 billion
• no 12-month operating budget for two years (since 2015)
• forecast: $7 billion deficit in 2018; $6.5 billion deficit in 2022
• unpaid bills could grow from $13.5 billion at end of fiscal 2017 to $47.1 billion by 2022 (five years from now) 

New Jersey: one multi-billionaire does his part to help New Jersey get back to income equality. He left. 

Alaska: oil severance taxes (revenue for the state) dropping to zero. The trend is a disaster; the volatility is terrifying, January 12, 2016.

Alaska: one year later, Alaska is no closer to solving its deficit problem. December 26, 2015.

Alaska: may already be in recession; will enter next fiscal year with a $3 billion shortfall. Statoil exiting Alaska. November 19, 2015

Illinois: despite huge tax increase, Chicago still faces a huge pension fund gap. November 10, 2015.

Illinois: electricity may be shut off at state capitol; unpaid bills. October 1, 2015

Days without a state budget: 90

Backlog of unpaid bills: $6.4 billion

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White warned that garbage pickup at the Capitol, electricity and rent payments for state offices, computer maintenance and armored truck service to remove cash from drivers license facilities are in jeopardy.  

Alaska: Shell's decision to quit drilling off-shore Alaska is a disaster for the state of Alaska; September 29, 2015.

Alaska: special session called to start moving on natural gas pipeline, September 24, 2015:

“With a $3.5 billion (state) budget deficit, this gas line project has gone from a wish-list item to a must-have,” Walker said. “It is time to make the necessary legislative changes so a single party cannot delay the production of Alaska’s natural gas resources and sway our destiny.”

The proposed $45 billion to $65 billion liquefied natural gas project is still in a phase of preliminary engineering and design, with no decision by its partners on whether to build it.

Pennsylvania: budget impasse, summer 2015; affecting start of school - September 2, 2015.

California: California and its dependency on its in-state dying oil and gas industry - posted September 2, 2015.

Connecticut: GE looking at leaving the state (moving corporate headquarters). Taxes simply too high. [Update: GE said it won't move to Texas; looks like it was a scare to get Connecticut to give GE more tax breaks - posted September 2, 2015.]

Illinois: 2013 bill to "solve" the pension problem has been ruled unconstitutional by the Illinois Supreme Court. Things just got tougher in Illinois.

Wisconsin: will miss it's $100 million interest payment .. but that's a good thing. LOL. 

Connecticut: Super-rich looking to move out of state.

Illinois, California, Pennsylvania: these three states may be in the most trouble. Illinois has a huge pension problem. California is losing more and more jobs; oil industry in trouble. Pennsylvania with huge deficit, but worse: they just elected a Democrat governor. February 3, 2015.

Pennsylvania: a $2 billion deficit, and they have just elected a Democrat for governor.  January 24, 2015.

California: the end of the oil and gas industry in California? January 15, 2015.

California and Nevada: food stamp outliers. January 9, 2015 PDF.

The percent change was most interesting: both California and Nevada were outliers by a large margin. Most states showed a decrease in number of folks on food stamps. Not only did California and Nevada show an increase, it was a huge increase, close to 10%.

Illinois: applications for food stamps in Illinois is greater than its creation of jobs. September 16, 2014.

New Jersey: creditworthiness is downgraded 2nd time in one year. Billion state pension underfunded by nearly $40 billion. September 5, 2014.

Illinois: Chicago workers protest as pension crisis brews. February 19, 2014.

California: a $71 billion teacher's pension shortfall, and the shortfall is growing by $22 million every day ($8 billion/year).

New Jersey: in the category of those states with best business climate, New Jersey, led by RINO Chris Christie, drops to 42nd in 2013; after plunging to 41st in 2012; from 30th in 2011. with a corporate income tax rate of 9 percent on top of soaring property taxes, New Jersey has one of the highest tax burdens in the country. Cost of electricity, commercial: 12 cents/kwh in New Jersey; just 8 cents/kwh in North Dakota. -- July 14, 2013

North Carolina: first state to lose Federal jobless funds. 

Illinois: The Illinois legislature delayed a pension vote due to deadlock.

Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, has called the legislature back into session for Wednesday after members failed last month to pass a plan to fix a $96.8 billion shortfall in the state retirement system after more than two years of debate. The lack of action on the shortfall has caused Illinois's credit rating to fall to the lowest among U.S. states.

Illinois: Illinois fails (again) to reform pension program; Fitch cuts rating for Illinois.

While investors receive timely payments, Illinois faces about $6 billion in unpaid bills, Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka said last month. Lawmakers in April considered chipping away at the backlog with a $2.5 billion bond sale.

California: apparently out of trouble. I don't understand how they got out of trouble (so quickly); something seems fishy. April 2, 2013. 

Illinois: resumes bond sale as the worse-rated US state. April 2, 2013. 

California: sounds like the US Post Office problem. The LA Times is reporting that California legislators recently discovered the state needs to come up with $4.5 billion/year -- that's $4.5 billion every year -- to fully fund public teacher pensions:

For years, problems with California's pension fund for teachers and school employees have been growing. Now a new report says the fund needs an additional $4.5 billion every year -- more than Sacramento spends on both university systems combined -- to stay above water.

Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) told reporters on Thursday that lawmakers can't ignore the growing costs.

"This is a serious issue," he said. "We have to address it."

Well, duh. Serious issue. More than Sacramento spends on the University of California system and the California State University system every year. Yes, it sounds a bit serious. March 21, 2013.

Illinois: go down this page and see how serious Illinois' problem is, and then read the Reuters article:

The Illinois House of Representatives on Thursday dealt a setback to efforts to reform the worst-funded state pension system in the nation, soundly defeating several proposals to make substantial changes affecting public sector workers. Illinois has the worst-funded state pensions system in the nation, at only 39 percent, when 80 percent is considered healthy. And note below: Illinois can't even sell bonds. February 28, 2013.

Virginia: bump in the road? Budget shortfall this year of $473 million; will "cover it" by delaying property tax refunds into next fiscal year. February 26, 2013. 

Illinois: in a very rare move, Illinois "yanked" bonds after they realized expectations would not be met, January 31, 2013.

Illinois: credit rating downgraded to A-. Worse credit rating among US states, January 25, 2013.

California: wow! Talk about smoke and mirrors in the statehouse.

California: state's payroll automated system about ready to implode.

One of the state's biggest technology endeavors, a $371-million overhaul of the government payroll system, is beset with problems and "in danger of collapsing," according to the state controller's office.

The company hired for the project is in over its head and may be unable to deliver on its promise to update a payroll system so old that even simple salary adjustments can tie it in knots, the controller's chief administrative officer said in a letter.

California: any wonder that California is broke?

The numbers are even larger in California, where a state psychiatrist was paid $822,000, a highway patrol officer collected $484,000 in pay and pension benefits and 17 employees got checks of more than $200,000 for unused vacation and leave. The best-paid staff in other states earned far less for the same work, according to the data.

Minnesota: state announces a $1 billion deficit; deficit will be worse if "we" go over the ObamaCliff; immediately after the announcement state employees union says taxes need to be increased; this story is so full of internal inconsistencies one wonders if anyone even listens to what they say any more; December 5, 2012

Massachusetts: first time on the list. Kind of looks like Illinois, right now. Cue up Connie Francis.

Boston Globe: the state of Massachusetts is in trouble, going into 2013, November 25, 2012

Facing weaker than expected state tax revenues, Governor Deval Patrick’s administration has curbed state hiring, halted an automatic income tax reduction, and begun identifying cuts in spending that may be necessary to balance the budget.

Recent tax collections have been unexpectedly disappointing, failing to measure up to last year’s levels. In October, revenues were $162 million short of budgetary estimates and $48 million below the level reached in October 2011.

State revenues are running $256 million behind budget and $33 million behind last year’s actual collection, officials said.

Buffett: exits the municipal bond market; sees defaults coming. August 21, 2012.

California: scrambling to pay bills with more borrowing; when you look at the numbers at the link, it is downright scary. The LA Times says the state will raise taxes when voted upon in November. We will see.  The comments are priceless. August 13, 2012.

California: Facebook implodes; huge loss for California. Actually I find it incredible that a state the size of California was counting on tax revenue from one company to make up its deficit. August 1, 2012.

California: assumptions = "smoke and mirrors." Too big to fail? The folks are betting on these assumptions: a) windfall in federal estate taxes (won't happen); b) voters will pass $8 billion in new taxes this fall (don't hold your breath); c) $1 billion in money from counties defunct redevelopment agencies will pan out (probably not); and, d) Facebook stock will provide huge win (probably not this year, if ever). The biggest assumption not mentioned in the article: California is "too big to fail. " Current deficit is around $16 billion. July, 2012. [Update, November 7, 2012, amazingly, the citizens overwhelmingly passed the referendum to increase taxes.]

California: it may be worse than we are being told. June 12, 2012.

California: record number of California school districts facing bankruptcy this year. But the state presses on with bullet train to nowhere. May 21, 2012.

California: Jerry Brown says it's worse than I was told! $16 billion vs $9 billion. May 12, 2012.

Illinois: is broke. WSJ, April 28-29, 2012.  Pension costs will break Illinois, other states. Caterpillar made decision not to locate new plant in Illinois due to property taxes, health costs, yada, yada, yada. April 29, 2012.

California, Illinois, and  New Jersey: three states in most trouble, according to Meredith Whitney. April 26, 2012.

Minnesota, Connecticut: seldom do I get a chance to find a "twofer." Two states, tied for biggest budget shortfall:

Let’s not forget that Minnesota is tied with Connecticut among states with the biggest budget shortfalls ($3.8 billion).

California: will run out of cash in early March without swift action; short $3.3 billion; lawmakers surprised -- had been under impression enough cash to get them through fiscal year ending in June; you will remember that Governor Brown recently fired anti-oil bureaucrats; desperately needs cash; my hunch -- band-aid fix to get them through April 15; January 31, 2012

California: higher education slashed; worse to come around the corner -- $13 billion shortfall next year starting January, 2012; even if Californians approve $7 billion increase in taxes, still facing dire cuts, December 13, 2011

Rhode Island: huge pension problem; worse in the nation per capita, September 19, 2011.

Minnesota: S&P could cut Minnesota's credit rating, August 28, 2011.

All states: debt ceiling cut backs could have huge impact on states. July 31, 2011. 

Rhode Island: third highest unemployment in the US, behind Nevada and California. One wonders how a little state with great coastline opportunities could let this happen. Tragic. July 31, 2011. 

Florida: $4 billion deficit; 1,600 state employees laid off Friday; another 562,000 begin paying into pension plan for first time in 37 years; July 1, 2011. 

Washington State: closes tourism office; saves $2 million; faces $5.2 billion budget deficit; only state with no tourism office; Colorado lost one-third of overnight visitors after its tourism office closed from 1993 to 2000, calling that decision "an incredible economic travesty." Is $2 million/$5.2 billion = 0.03 percent? Well, it's a start. July 1, 2011.

Minnesota: state goes dark tonight, June 30, 2011; can't balance budget; $5 billion shortfall; biggest concern -- the state's two horse racing tracks would close.

Kentucky: #1 state with worst pension fund status. #2 -- Illinois.  Top ten listed by WSJ.

California: in deeper doo-doo than Michigan. 

Michigan: Governor ready to sign bill giving state emergency powers over cities and school districts facing bankruptcy. Unions will probably take case to state supreme court. March 13, 2011.

Minnesota: Budget deficit 7th worse in the US. $5 billion deficit exceeds Wisconsin's $3.6 billion. March 13, 2011.  [Note: July 1, 2011 -- state shuts down -- see above.]

California: Debt repayment of $8 billion will be a quarter of the state's deficit.  This is more than what the state will budget for its prized university system. February 26, 2011.

California: Ready to require 30 percent of power to come from renewable energy sources by 2020. This will end up costing California more than they can afford. If my blog is still going ten years from now, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. It appears Californians don't mind paying more for their energy. February 25, 2011.

California: The state may have to start issuing IOUs as early as April; they could delay state tax refunds. January 21, 2011.

North Dakota: Retirement plans for teachers (TFFR) and retirement plans for non-classified state employees are under pressure. There is a move to have new employees enrolled in a defined contribution plan much like a 401(k). Funds for both pension plans will run out in 2030 - 2040 time frame without changes now. Moving new employees from current pension plans to a defined contribution plan would result in the current pension funds running out of money sooner due to less money coming in now (sort of like a Ponzi scheme, as it were). The link will be broken soon; it's a link to a regional newspaper.  [By the way, they keep using the canard that state employees could earn 15 percent more in the private sector but they stay with the state because of the retirement plan. Let's test that theory. Drop the current pension plans, establish the defined contribution plans, and let's see how many folks walk away. January 22, 2011.

California: Governor declares emergency over budget / deficit. Legislators ignore his declaration. Wow. January 21, 2011.

California: Boeing plant in Long Beach will most likely close down completely next year; laying off 900 now. C-17 sales diminishing. But is there more to it? At same time, Governor Brown "pleading" for help from cities to balance state budget. Not gonna happen. January 19, 2011. [I was right: did not happen. Obama stepped in and saved the plant. All of a sudden, AF generals saw the light. March, 2011.]

All states: 2011 -- toughest year yet for states. Along with that story, another little nugget: the states owe the Federal government $1.3 billion this year for money to pay for unemployment benefits. January 17, 2011. By the way, this is a nice article from the Minnesota-based Fed in 2006 explaining how we got where we are: when times were flush, benefits were increased. Folks assumed the good times would go on forever, and/or uninterrupted.

Illinois: Wow, this is dire. "Massive tax increases," including person income tax up 66 percent and corporate income tax up to 7 percent, from 4.6 percent. The best line (in an earlier story) was this: "The state's income tax rates have not risen since 1989." Why should they rise at all. How about cutting some spending. They agree to borrow $4 billion to pay for pensions, but refused to borrow $9 billion to pay for current bills owed. They also tabled raising cigarette taxes from a buck to two bucks. Hmmm. January 11, 2011.

California: $25 billion headache for new governor; must deal with crisis by June 30, 2011. January 10, 2011.

Illinois: Days to resolve a $13 billion deficit. The two US states in the most financial trouble are California and Illinois. It is actually costing Illinois more than California to insure against default. January 3, 2011.

California: Schwarzenegger declares a fiscal emergency; calls on legislature to come up with $9.9 billion in budget cuts. December 6, 2010.

California: bond sales met with tepid demand. Not a good sign. November 18, 2010.

Texas: first time on this page! Always under the radar, but now it's getting serious: possibly $25 billion in debt; public education accounts for 55% of the budget. No income tax; would require change in constitution; ain't gonna happen. November 10, 2010.

California: ready to launch $14 billion in debt sales; will be $25 billion in debt by mid-2012. November 10, 2010.

California: the state is now $8.6 billion in debt and borrowing $40 million/day to pay for unemployment benefits. November 7, 2010. [November 9, 2010, two days later: the debt is now estimated to be $10.3 billion.]

Illinois: first state to run out of money (pension fund), 2018. The next to fall: Connecticut (2019), Indiana (2019), New Jersey (2019), Hawaii (2020), Louisiana (2020), Oklahoma (2020), Colorado (2020), Kansas (2022), Kentucky (2022), New Hampshire (2022). The bill for Illinois the following year (2019): $14 billion; Connecticut (2020): $4.9 billion; and, Indiana (2020): $3.6 billion.

California: Finally some sanity -- high court upholds governor-ordered furloughs.

California: The state is in arrears for $6.3 billion for unpaid bills from July, August, September; and is now unlikely able to pay $2.9 billion in bills that will come due in October without a budget. The comptroller put this information on his website today. It should be noted that the comptroller refused to execute the governor's plan to save state money through mandated furloughs. The comptroller said the computer system could not manage such a change. October 1, 2010.

California: Payday loan required by the state to stay solvent. September 27, 2010.

California: State approaches 85-day impasse; will set new record. No vote set on budget. September 22, 2010.

California: State misses payment to public schools to save cash due to budget impasse. State weeks away from issuing IOUs. August 23, 2010.

Connecticut: the state treasurer says the state may have just one week's worth of cash. August 19, 2010.

California: August, 2010 -- no spending plan; no serious discussion; bills piling up; waiting for Godot.  July 28, 2010.

Illinois:  Worst off in the nation -- $12.1 billion deficit; $5.0 billion in bills it can't pay right now. It cannot grow itself out of its problem. This is the administration's home state. Can anyone spell "bailout"?

Califorinia: The budget deficit and solutions to solve it are worse than ever, but this story, in a well-respected newspaper, suggests a fantasyland optimism. The state is short $19.1 billion and with creative financing can eliminate $3 - $4 billion and opine that the economy will be better next year. By the way: how does the state eliminate $4 billion in deficit; return some state responsibilities back to the counties.  The state looks financially better off but the taxpayer doesn't. June 23, 2010.

California: largest pension fund will take $700 million from schools. Seniors stealing candy from babies. Why does this not surprise me: seniors vote; babies don't.

New York: The Roman Circus begins. New York state government could close next week. Just for a few days. Obama will bail the state out. June 10, 2010.

Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania and 29 other states in deep trouble because they "pencilled" in Medicaid money from federal government; now they can't count on it. Don't worry: Pelosi, Reid, and Obama won't let the states down in an election year. June 7, 2010.

Connecticut: For the second year in a row, the "wealthiest" state (per capita income), will borrow nearly $1 billion to cover a budget gap. Credit rating has been lowered from AAA to AA+. June 4, 2010.

New York: "delayed" paying $2.5 billion to stay afloat, but cash crunch could get even worse in August and September. Budget yet to pass; currently NY has a $9.2 billion deficit which increases daily as budget is delayed. The article does not note that tax revenue for the year peaks in April when taxes are due. June 2, 2010. Comment: only $9.2 billion? Chump change. Obama administration will bail the state out with more interest-free loans in guise of stimulus. June 2, 2010.

Colorado: Unemployment coffers insolvent; borrowing massively from feds; businesses will see increased unemployment taxes. May 21, 2010.

Illinois: Poster child for pension liabilities. With financial year 2011 less than six weeks away, the pension arrears for Illinois look daunting. The state faces unfunded liabilities of about $78bn, the biggest pension hole in the US, and contributions of more than $4bn for 2011, the largest single element of its $13bn budget deficit. The state has a two-point plan for resolving the deficit: a) delay acting on the problem during an election year; and, b) asking for a Federal government bailout. Because Illinois is the president's home state, this seems as good a plan as any. May 20, 2010.

California: how bad is the deficit in California: California faces an estimated $18.6-billion shortfall, which amounts to roughly 20% of its general fund spending. Without raising taxes, balancing the budget would require cutbacks equivalent to releasing every prisoner in the state, closing state prisons and cutting off all funding for the University of California and California State University systems. May 14, 2010.

California: revenue in April (when income-tax payments are due), trailed estimates by $3.6 billion (26%) -- yes, the recession in California is worse than the state wants to acknowledge -- wiping out gains from the previous four months, leaving collections $1.3 billion behind projections for the budget year that ends in June, 2010. The state faces an $18.6 billion budget deficit through June, 2011. May 11, 2010.

California: unemployment rate hit a modern record of 12.6 percent in March.

California: last auto plant in California closes its doors. Health care costs, taxes, "green" energy finally did them in. April 1, 2010.

Florida: new unemployment record -- 12.2% unemployed in February, 2010; almost at the predicted rate for this summer: 12.3%. And now these states will start looking at paying for health care for these unemployed. March 26, 2010.

New York State: Governor Paterson has put on hold $500 million in state refund checks; won't start mailing them again until after April 1. $1.5 billion in school aid may be next.  March 17, 2010.

California: For JPMorgan, California is a bigger risk than Greece. February 28, 2010.

Illinois: needs $4.7 billion stay afloat. March 10, 2010.

And even with the load, this is what the budget could do: cost some 13,000 teachers and staff their jobs, cut off poor seniors from help in paying for costly prescriptions and shut down some health care programs for the indigent. But even after about $2 billion in cuts, the state would still be $11 billion in the hole.

Illinois: pending $12.8 billion deficit. Residents could be facing unprecedented personal income tax increases. February 24, 2010.