Five (5) New Permits -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Operators: Zenergy (2), Behm, Pride, and XTO.

Fields: Elidah, Painted Woods, Mondak, and a wildcat.

The Behm wildcat will be in Ward County -- that is home of Minot, and quite a ways east. Perhaps more to follow. The wildcat is seven (7) miles northwest of the small town of Berthold, just west of Minot, North Dakota. It may be the farthest east permit in the current boom; having said that, it is only ten (10) miles from the prolific Parshall field and ten miles from the Ross oil field. But in general, wells on the eastern side of the Parshall oil field have not been all that great.

Several wells were completed and reported, including:

• 19426, 1,207, EOG, Mandaree 9-0H, McKenzie County
• 19491, 1,327, Whiting, Ness 42-31H, Mountrail
• 19543, 983, Whiting, Scott Meiers 12-17TFH, Mountrail
• 19599, 1,308, Whiting, Arndt 14-5XH, Mountrail
• 19760, 853, Whiting, Deal 43-28TFH, Mountrail
• 19820, 843, Whiting, Dietz 21-17TFH, Stark County

I have said a number of times over the past three to six months that Whiting is really beginning to impress me. It may have the best business model of any of the operators working in the Bakken right now.

In addition, coming off the confidential list:

• 19437, 2,804, Burlington  Resources, Inga 24-12A, McKenzie

I have to look this up, but I think this is the second great well Burlington Resources has reported in the last couple of weeks. I could be wrong.

Yup, I just checked. BR reported out another good well April 4, 2011:

• 18675, 1,806, BR, Franklin 24-36H, Little Knife, Bakken, spudded 10/10; tested 1/11