1,680 Permits Issued in 2010 -- North Dakota, USA

My database shows that NDIC issued 1,680 permits for oil and gas wells in North Dakota, for calendar year 2010.

Four of those permits were for natural gas wells, if I understand the numbering system correctly.

1680 permits. That's impressive. Some predict 2,000 wells will be drilled in 2011.

Of those 1,680 permits, my database shows only 388 wells with some kind of data being reported; many of those report only "plugged or producing." However, one can be quite comfortable knowing that there are no plugged wells.

My database might be off by one or two, but it's pretty accurate based on results of previous years. I will know more when NDIC provides a 2010 summary.

That means we start off the new year with almost 1,300 permits issued in 2010 that still need to be executed. Wow.