Bloomberg is reporting that North Dakota has surpassed Oklahoma in number of active drilling rigs.
North Dakota now accounts for almost 5 percent of oil produced in the United States.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
North Dakota Number One in Sunflowers
One can add to the list of North Dakota firsts: sunflowers.
North Dakota leads the pack with its sunflower acreage, says the marketing director for the National Sunflower Association (NSA).North Dakota is also number one in honey production for those who may have forgotten.
North Dakota has 865,000 acres of sunflowers this year, which is 98 percent of last year’s national acreage. South Dakota is second in sunflower production, behind North Dakota with 630,000 acres.
There has been a growth in acreage in the midwest regions of North Dakota, Majkrzak said. These regions have been producing the best crops over the past years, he added. What was once a very dry environment in this region has become a great growing region for sunflowers due to slightly increased rain fall, he adds.
According to the NSA, sun oil is up 58 percent over last year’s level for the first eight months of this marketing season. This rise is due to a decline in Canadian imports.
The Cost of Going Green
Customers of two utilities in the Bakken will be getting inserts in their monthly bills explaining why their rates are going up. MDU and Otter Tail are being reimbursed for a brand new utility plant that customers in Minnesota refuse to accept because it uses electricity generated by coal. Never mind that this was a state-of-the-art power plant.
Oh, I can't resist. The big story here is how inexpensive coal energy is -- the plant, on average, cost each ND consumer less than $1.51/month for three years.
The PSC recently approved a plan for the two utilities to recoup $13.8 million in development costs with slight increases in customers’ electric bills. The utilities calculated the sum as the share North Dakota customers should pay for the Big Stone II project.
The plan says an average North Dakota residential electric customer of Otter Tail will pay about 62 cents extra each month for three years. A typical MDU customer will pay $1.51.
Otter Tail, based in Fergus Falls, Minn., and Bismarck-based MDU were part of a group of utilities that proposed building Big Stone II next to an existing power plant near Milbank, S.D.
The project, which was five years in the making, was abandoned last November. Its supporters cited uncertain financing, weaker demand for electricity and uncertainty about federal regulation of coal-fired power plants as reasons for its demise.No comment required; the story speaks for itself.
Oh, I can't resist. The big story here is how inexpensive coal energy is -- the plant, on average, cost each ND consumer less than $1.51/month for three years.
I guess the "weaker demand for electricity" means electric vehicles don't figure into Minnesota's future. Or larger television screens. Or more computers. Or more Fortune 500 companies. For some, the phrase "weaker demand for electricity" equates with "slower growth."
August 17, 2010: MDU asks for 13 percent rate increase in Montana to cover costs of wind energy.
August 16, 2010: The story keeps getting better. I hope the Minnesota folks don't mind higher utility bill; it looks like Xcel will be asking for a rate increase. Xcel recently announced they will be shutting down/retrofitting a coal-powered utility plant to comply with Colorado's greenhouse gas emissions laws. Wanna bet Big Stone II is eventually opened up for Minnesota customers. I can't make this stuff up.
August 1, 2010: This is priceless. One of Minnesota's largest utilty, Xcel, has a "Saver Switch" power management system which allows it to remotely control residential use of electricity. For the first time in three years Xcel had to "flip" that switch due to heavy electrical demand on their system because of the heat wave and the heavy use of residential air conditioners. And just a few days ago, Minnesota reports that there is "weaker demand for electricity." Remember all the flower children of the '60s in Berkeley? They now run the show when it comes to making strategic decisions in certain states.
*****
UPDATE
August 17, 2010: MDU asks for 13 percent rate increase in Montana to cover costs of wind energy.
August 16, 2010: The story keeps getting better. I hope the Minnesota folks don't mind higher utility bill; it looks like Xcel will be asking for a rate increase. Xcel recently announced they will be shutting down/retrofitting a coal-powered utility plant to comply with Colorado's greenhouse gas emissions laws. Wanna bet Big Stone II is eventually opened up for Minnesota customers. I can't make this stuff up.
August 1, 2010: This is priceless. One of Minnesota's largest utilty, Xcel, has a "Saver Switch" power management system which allows it to remotely control residential use of electricity. For the first time in three years Xcel had to "flip" that switch due to heavy electrical demand on their system because of the heat wave and the heavy use of residential air conditioners. And just a few days ago, Minnesota reports that there is "weaker demand for electricity." Remember all the flower children of the '60s in Berkeley? They now run the show when it comes to making strategic decisions in certain states.
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