Traveling Again -- Expect Fewer Posts

But I've updated a lot of earlier posts and posted a flurry of stand-alone posts earlier today.

Wyoming's Experience With the Federal Stimulus Program -- Absolutely Nothing To Do With The Bakken

Data points from the Federal stimulus plan for Wyoming which is now coming to an end (some numbers rounded):

• $660 million in stimulus funding authorized for Wyoming
• $410 million of that was spent as of March 31, 2011
• Wyoming spent money on one-time projects rather than creating new government jobs that would require state support after the stimulus money ran out
• Resulted in 858 new jobs ($480,000/newly created job)
• Most of the money was spent to shore up/restore projects cut by the state earlier to balance the budget

The $157 million in stimulus funding that WYDOT received, for example, essentially replaced the funding the department lost in the 2009-10 state budget, said WYDOT Director John Cox in a January media release.

“That kind of saved the day for us,” Cox said. “The timeliness of the stimulus money couldn’t have been better, given that the governor and Legislature had to balance the budget.”

• Wyoming was the first state in the nation to spend all its construction stimulation money
• Stimulus money was used to fund Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program; both programs now have thousands of additional enrollees, and starting in 2012, the state will have to fund the programs
• In many states, private insurers dropped insurance programs for children if the state provided coverage (that hasn't happened yet in Wyoming)

Takeaways for me:

• The federal money restored funding for programs cut by the state earlier to balance the budget (a one-time goodie)
• The state will now have unfunded obligations for larger Medicaid and CHIP programs
• I do not know if the 858 jobs, at a cost of $480,000/job to create, will be around in 2012
• Despite being the first state in the nation to spend all its construction stimulus money, the state has spent "only" 60% of its federal stimulus money ($410 million/$660 million)
• The article did not say whether the $250 million yet to spend has been obligated or if the state is trying to figure out what else to spend it on

I have no idea what North Dakota spent its stimulus money on, but if the state had held on to it, it could now be used for road construction, repair, maintenance in the west; flood recovery efforts in the mid-section (Bismarck, Minot, and Devils Lake); and, whatever the Red River Valley thought they needed for their fair share.

Fracking Backlog, Road Restrictions, Flooding Conditions -- Taking A Toll in the Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Seven wells came off the confidential list today. Except for two, all remain in DRL status -- not yet completed, waiting to be fracked and/or tested.

Of interest, another "Oil for America" well came off the confidential list, but like all other "Oil for America" wells before it, it remained in DRL status. Considering "Oil for America" wells are vertical wells into the Lodgepole, the fact that they remain in DRL status six months after being spudded, really raises questions.

• 20195, DRL, Oil for American, Dohrman 14-1, Wildcat, Lodgepole

Click here for overview and update on all "Oil for America" wells.

Glass Bluff Oil Field Update -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Updates

June 3, 2013: KOG acquires Liberty Resources acreage.

April 27, 2012: It looks like Liberty Resources picked up its new acreage in Glass Bluff oil field.

Permits

Here is the most current update as of June 7, 2012 (please feel free to tell me if I've missed a permit). Some years in which permits were said to have been issued, could be wrong.

Permits issued in 2015:

• 32044, loc, Whiting, Gullikson 44-34H,
• 32043, loc, Whiting, Gullikson 44-34HU,
• 32042, loc, Whiting, Gullikson 14-35H,

Permits issued in 2014 (the list is complete):

• 30202, loc, Whiting, Klose 21-27-1H,
• 30201, loc, Whiting, Klose 21-27-3H,
• 30200, loc, Whiting, Klose 21-27-4H,
• 29506, PNC, Whiting, Oakland 31-29-4H, middle Bakken, NOT conf on permit;
• 29505, PNC, Whiting, Oakland 31-29-3H, middle Bakken, NOT conf on permit;
• 29504, PNC, Whiting, Oakland 31-29-1H, middle Bakken, NOT conf on permit;
• 29303, 331, CLR, Frisco 2-31H1, t4/15; cum 14K 7/15;
• 29302, 688, CLR, Frisco 3-31H, t5/15; cum 30K 7/15;

Permits issued in 2013 (the list is complete):

• 25077, 320, Oasis, Martell 36-25HTF2, Three Forks 1st bench (TF1), 36 stages; 3.7 million lbs all ceramic, t2/14; cum 48K 7/15;
• 25032, 2,244, Whiting/KOG, Erickson 152-103-26-35-2H, t813; cum 145K 7/15;
• 24894, 718, Whiting/KOG/Liberty Resources, Dobias 152-103-32-29-11TFH, 35 stages, 4.1 million lbs sand, t7/13; cum 81K 7/15;

Permits issued in 2012:

• 24458, 1,573, Whiting/KOG, Erickson 152-103-23-14-1H, t8/13; cum 140K 7/15;
• 24457, 1,662, Whiting/KOG, Erickson 152-103-26-35-1H, t8/13; cum 152K 7/15;
• 24394, 399, Whiting/KOG, Anderson 152-103-28-33-1H, t5/13; cum 143K 7/15;
• 24303, 554, Whiting/KOG, Anderson 152-103-21-16-1H, t4/13; cum 150K 7/15;
• 24097, 681, Whiting/KOG, Dobias 152-103-32-29-1H, t7/13; cum 155K 7/15;
• 23398, 673, Whiting/KOG, Lassey 152-103-22-15-1H, t10/12; cum 242K 7/15;
• 23201, 1,029, Whiting/KOG, Lassey 152-103-27-34-1H, t11/12; cum 207K 7/15;
• 22905, 764, CLR, Frisco 1-31H, Frisco 1-31H, t10/12; cum 119K 7/15;
• 22709, 733, Whiting/KOG/Liberty Resources, Gullikson 152-103-31-30-1H, t10/12; cum 162K 7/15;

Permits issued in 2011:

• 20301: 868, Murex, Amy Michelle 16-21H; s3/11; t6/11; cum 111K 7/15; 18-port frac; 2 mill lbs sand
• 20381, 566, Murex, Daron William 28-33H, Glass Bluff, t11/11; cum 93K 7/15;
• 20386, 999, Murex, David Roger 18-19H, Glass Bluff, t11/11; cum 104K 7/15;
• 20590, 493, Zavanna, Skogen 17-20 1H, Glass Bluff, t7/12; cum 165K 7/15;
• 20666, 1,097, Oasis/Zenergy, Snowshoe 30-31H, t4/13; cum 103K 7/15;
• 20830, 95, Murex, Kimberly Dawn 30-31H, t10/11; cum 122K 7/15;
• 21200, 1,051, Denbury, Erickson 41-25SWH, Glass Bluff, t3/12; cum 88K 7/15;
• 21201, 1,145, XTO/Denbury, Erickson 41-25NWH, Glass Bluff, t2/12; cum 146K 7/15;
• 21316, 684, XTO/Denbury, Iverson 34-19NWH, Glass Bluff, t4/12; cum 135K 7/15;
• 21739, 633, Zavanna Kepner 9-4 1H, Glass Bluff, t7/12; cum 160K 7/15;

Permits issued in 2010:

• 18653: 2,803, BEXP, Tjelde 29-32 1H, t5/10;  cum 189K 7/15; Bakken; frac report without number of stages; 1.6 million pounds sand; 2.3 million pounds ceramic; BEXP typically does 28 - 36-stage fracs
• 19761, 1,074, Oasis/Zenergy, Martell 36-25H, t6/11; cum 105K 7/15;
• 19281, 1,474, EOG, Hardscrabble 13-2526H; t6/11; cum 104K 7/15;
• 19813, 977, Zavanna, Olson 8-5H, Glass Bluff, t12/11; cum 195K 7/15;
• 19849, PNC, Zavanna, Kepner 9-4 1H; Glass Bluff;
• 19895, PNC, Zavanna, Lassey 16-21 1H,
• 20000, 573, Zavanna, CDK 15-22 1H, Glass Bluff; t6/12; cum 150K 7/15;
• 20093, 638, Zavanna, Skorpil 11-2 1H, Glass Bluff; t5/12; cum 171K 7/15;
• 20094, 867, Zavanna, Wang 10-3H 1H; Glass Bluff, t3/12; cum 189K 7/15;
• 20105: 737, Zavanna, Crescent Farm 7-61H, Glass Bluff, t3/12; cum 221K 7/15;
• 20136, 644, Hess, Iverson Trust 1-1H, Glass Bluff, t6/11; cum 167K 7/15;
• 20144, 751, Petro-Hunt, Klose 151-103-26B-35-1H, Glass Bluff, t3/12; cum 131K 7/15;
• 20185, 607, Petro-Hunt, Oakland 151-103-29B-32-1H, Glass Bluff, t4/12; cum 122K 7/15;
• 20201, 302, Petro-Hunt, Klose 151-103-27B-34-1H, Glass Bluff, t8/11; cum 129K 7/15;
• 20224: 535, Hess, Klose 24-1H, Glass Bluff, t5/11; cum 166K 7/15;

Permits issued prior to 2010: to be continued

Original Post

Back in February, 2010, someone asked me about Glass Bluff oil field. This was my answer then:

Glass Bluff is south of the river and southwest of Williston. Stony Creek is northeast of Williston, north of the river.

There were a lot of conventional wells (vertical wells) drilled in Glass Bluff over the years, but there has not been much activity in Glass Bluff in the current horizontal boom. One exception: BEXP just reported a big well one township east, still in Glass Bluff: Tjelde 29-32 1-H with an IP of 2,800.

Other than the Tjelda, there are no permits pending in Glass Bluff at this time. Based on the big well by Tjelda and based on all the conventional wells in this oil field in the past, I think this field will do just fine. But it may be awhile. 

Wow, that didn't take long. There are no less than 17 wells on the confidential list in Glass Bluff, and there are currently two rigs on site.

Enbridge To Build Raiload Oil Loading Facilities For More Flexibility -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Link here.  (Regional links break early.)

The Enbridge pipeline company plans to ask North Dakota regulators for permission to build new facilities to load oil into railroad tanker cars.

North Dakota's Public Service Commission agreed Wednesday to allow Enbridge to apply for a pipeline construction permit within 10 days.

Enbridge wants to install new pipe and storage tanks at its loading terminal near Berthold that will be used to load oil into railroad tankers. It plans to buy or lease 320 acres of land for the project.

Shipping some oil by railroad tank cars gives Enbridge more flexibility. 

I'm sure the Enbridge folks read the same corporate presentations I do. When one sees the amount of takeaway capacity for North Dakota oil by the end of 2014, and Enbridge still wants to increase its capacity, it tells me that the oil patch in western North Dakota may be bigger than what we have imagined so far.

National Energy Center for Excellence -- Bismarck State College -- North Dakota, USA

A big "thank you" to Dennis for alerting me to this site and this center. I don't believe I was previously aware of it.

As I understand it (please correct me where I am wrong), Bismarck State College is offering training and education in energy-related jobs through on-site and "distance-learning (internet)-based modalities.

On-site instruction and education is provided in a state-of-the art 106,200 square-foot building, that, in itself, is an educational model for students of energy production, management, and conservation.

The building is made of Flexcrete, a construction material manufactured from fly ash. The Flexcrete was donated by Great River Energy as a demonstration of the use of North Dakota fly ash as a building material. The Flexcrete material is recycled from coal combustion byproducts (which require disposal) and has been used throughout the interior of the building.

The heating and cooling system is particularly remarkable. According to the website, The NECE is heated, cooled and ventilated from a geothermal system consisting of 504 wells that are 200 feet deep. The ventilation system, which provides outside air to maintain indoor air quality, is achieved by a total energy heat recovery system coupled to the geothermal piping system to have the earth preheat and precool the outside air without the use of electricity or gas.

The college is now accepting applications for courses beginning this August (2011). Main page (starting page) is here.

My hunch is that companies like Schlumberger and Halliburton will be sending some of their folks to the school for on-site training. Others will obtain their degree through distance learning (internet).

I'm hoping that the school will provide some statistics or metrics regarding the student body of their classes, breaking it down by students who follow a traditional route from high school to college, as well as those students who are already working in the industry and are getting advanced training and/or advanced degrees.

Forbes: The Bakken, Natural Gas, CLR, and Oil

Link here.

Facing a supply glut, in recent years natural gas drillers like Chesapeake Energy, EOG Resources and SandRidge Energy have all shifted investment dollars away from gas in favor of higher-priced oil. That’s spurred a boom in new oil plays like the Bakken of North Dakota and the Eagle Ford shale of south Texas. As a result, U.S. crude oil production was up 150,000 barrels per day to 5.51 million bpd last year, despite downturns in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. The Energy Information Administration forecasts Lower-48 growth of 230,000 bpd this year. Given high enough prices, there is still an awful lot of oil left in the U.S.

But ironically, going after oil instead of gas isn’t helping reduce the gas glut at all, because in virtually every oil field you’ll also find associated gas. With the price of oil so high the drillers are incentivized to give away the gas for free and just make money on the liquids. In the Woodford shale of Oklahoma, Continental Resources says the gas they produce is so “wet” with other liquids like butane and propane that they can get $8 per mmbtu, far more than the going rate of $4.32 for dry gas.

Incidentally, one of the reasons I always enjoyed reading business media like The Wall Street Journal and Forbes was because the articles were so well written.

I am currently reading H.L. Mencken's The American Language, first edition, which is a most delightful book tracking the etymology of American words. In the Forbes article linked above, one almost misses a new American word:

If it works it will be a huge turnaround for a company that I heralded back in 2005 for being the first to navigate the nimby issues involved in building an import terminal. That was back when the fear was that the U.S. would soon run short of natural gas. Then came the shale gas boom.  Cheniere shares topped out at $40 back in 2007, then fell to $1.25 in 2008 and are at $8 today.

I hope to write more about H. L. Mencken's The American Language at my literature site when I find time.


Oh, back to the Forbes article:

Frankly, if the U.S. doesn’t export North America’s surplus gas, then Canada likely will. Apache Corp., with partners EOG Resources and Encana, is moving forward with plans to build an LNG plant at Kitimat in British Columbia. It would liquefy gas from the Montney and Horn River shale plays (where ExxonMobil is a big landholder) and send it to Asia.

Already, the Canadians are shipping coal to Asia out of their Pacific ports because Washington State and Oregon fear industrial growth in their communities.  (Except, of course, for Boeing. Apparently Seattle does not care how big the Boeing carbon footprint is as long as it belongs to Boeing in Seattle.)

Dunn County Seat: One of The Busiest Oil Counties In the Nation -- No Post Office -- Manning, ND, Post Office To Close (Along With Zip Code)

Update

Last today for the post office in Manning.

Original Post

Link here, regional link that will break early.

The postmaster will retire this year. Job advertised for three years; no one took the job. Post office will close.

Manning, not even an incorporated city, has been through some tough fights to remain the county seat of Dunn County, but now it looks like it won’t win the fight to keep its post office.

Longtime postmaster Cheryl Borth is retiring June 30 and the post office will closed, likely permanently, that day at noon.

It isn’t closing for lack of business. It’s closing for lack of someone willing to take over the job.

Dunn County Commission chairman Daryl Dukart said the county courthouse sends out 50 to 70 pieces of mail daily, including some that have to be certified and registered.

Mail will come out of the Dickinson office and get dropped off in cluster curbside boxes in Manning by about noon.