Idle Rambling -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Williston Planning and Zoning Commission okays a 4-well pad inside Williston:

The Williston Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve a Special Permitted Use for an oil well site in Williston Township on Monday.

Brigham Oil and Gas was proposing the SPU for a location approximately 24 acres in size.

Data points:

• southeast corner of the intersection of 26th Street West and 32nd Avenue
• 24 acres reserved; 8.2 acres for the pad (wells and tanks)
• drilling to start next April (2012)
• will drill four wells and be done
• minimize water trucks by piping in water

So, where is the intersection of 26th Street West and 32nd Avenue? The google map puts an arrow right in the middle of the hospital which is probably wrong. It looks like this is northwest Williston where the new subdivisions are going in. There are already several wells in that immediate area. I think a couple of city or county commissioners have land out there, but I could be mistaken.

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Oil up about $3.00 today.

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The natural gas story is bearish according to the "Short Report." (CNBC, December 19, 2011).

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A few weeks ago I stopped taking comments -- I was overwhelmed by the craziness of some of the comments. I think the comment that "put me over the top" was the individual who wrote, "why would OPEC want to embargo oil at $100/bbl?" Well, duh.

About that time I was talking about US energy independence which would make an OPEC embargo less problematic for the US, with the Keystone XL in the background. And that's when the individual suggested that talk of an embargo was crazy.

A couple weeks later, Iran says it will "practice" closing the Hormuz Strait. That story did not have legs in the mainstream media, but it was there, just under the radar.

I see today on CNBC they're talking about a possible Iranian embargo. [This would be a EU-endorsed embargo against Iran; but an embargo is an embargo; it's taking oil off the market.] And so it goes.

I am taking comments once again. I missed the give and take. And "deleting" crazy comments without apology. One can lead a horse to water but one cannot make a horse drink. 

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Earlier this a.m., maybe late last evening -- around midnight -- we learned that BEXP reported another huge well. The announcement was important in several respects:

• right in the bull's eye of the Bakken; I was not aware that BEPX had such great acreate
• at 42 stages, that may be a record, though there is talk of as many as 60 stages before it's all over
• a three-well pad, and the other two wells are just as good

We all owe BEXP a debt of gratitude -- they continue to press the edge of the envelope. Newfield wrings it's hands over the cost of fracking a Bakken well; BEXP knows it takes money to make money.

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I see more global warming on the way.  The storm from New Mexico, through north Texas, to Kansas is a huge storm. I understand I-40 across Texas has been closed. One wonders why Canada ever decided to pull out of the Kyoto Protocol with such severe evidence of global warming.

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Meanwhile in the Bakken, three more wells came off the confidential list today, but one was not completed and went to DRL status. 


This well is particularly noteworthy, based on how they label the "pool":

• 20397, 1,001, Zenergy, Wold 34-27H, Wildcat, Three Forks/Bakken, right in the bull's eye of the Bakken, between Twin Valley and Banks

And this is a nice well (based on IP) for CLR northeast of Williston:

• 19652, 993, CLR, Helena 1-7H, Brooklyn, Bakken, 

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I don't understand the president's concern about all the jobs related to the social security wage (payroll) tax cut; after all, tens of thousands of jobs were lost when the president killed the Keystone XL and extended the permitorium in the gulf. A two-month extension of the payroll tax cut promoted by the president doesn't provide any long-term stability; if they're going to extend the payroll tax cut, they need to do it for a full year. (I am not in favor of the payroll tax cut. They say it amounts to $1,000/year for the average worker -- $80/month -- or one dinner out, transportation to dinner, babysitter, etc. The Keystone pipeline? A full year's salary (or more) at pretty high wages. I have mixed emotions on the Keystone. As an Enbridge investor, killing the Keystone is nice for me; as a passionate cheerleader for the Bakken, I want the Keystone.)

By the way, I support Nobel-Peace-Prize president and his drone war over Pakistan. Just as it took a Republican president (Nixon) to make first trip to China, no Reaganesque president could wage a drone war over another country (an ally in this case). Only this president could get away with it, with almost no coverage in the mainstream media. (Of course, that will change after the election, regardless who wins.)

I also support the president's support of the proposed policy to detain American "terrorists" at Gitmo without formal charges.  Again, only a non-Republican, Nobel-Peace-Prize president could pull this off.

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Time.com has an excellent op-ed on the UND Fighting Sioux story. I agree with Time. What a stupid miscalculation on all sides with regard to the mascot.

Spirit Lake and the 1,000 nickname supporters from the Standing Rock tribe recently filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA, claiming violation of religious rights. Black Cloud is also leading an effort to repeal the repeal of the state law keeping the Fighting Sioux name in place. "We fight for what Spirit Lake wants," says Black Cloud. "Why is the NCAA ignoring us? We are a sovereign nation. The name is an enormous source of pride. To have that taken away from us — it's more hurtful than you can possibly understand."

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Maybe more later.