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Saturday, August 20, 2011

Electricity Costs To Increase -- Significantly? -- EPA Ready to Shut Down One-Fifth Of Nation's Utility Coal Capacity -- Coal Supplies 45% of Nation's Electricity

Link here.
Over the next 18 months, the Environmental Protection Agency will finalize a flurry of new rules to curb pollution from coal-fired power plants. Mercury, smog, ozone, greenhouse gases, water intake, coal ash—it’s all getting regulated. And, not surprisingly, some lawmakers are grumbling.

Industry groups such the Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned utilities, and the American Legislative Exchange Council have dubbed the coming rules “EPA’s Regulatory Train Wreck.” The regulations, they say, will cost utilities up to $129 billion and force them to retire one-fifth of coal capacity. Given that coal provides 45 percent of the country’s power, that means higher electric bills, more blackouts and fewer jobs. The doomsday scenario has alarmed Republicans in the House, who have been scrambling to block the measures. Environmental groups retort that the rules will bring sizeable public health benefits, and that industry groups have been exaggerating the costs of environmental regulations since they were first created.
More later. By the way, President Obama said he would do this if he got elected. This is not news.

And that's why folks are buying up leases in natural gas-bearing shale around the country. This is not rocket science.

North Dakota's Booming Economy -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

From Carpe Diem.

Ohio and Pennsylvania should join this list in the next year or so.  California certainly has the potential.

Eight (8) New Permits -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Daily activity report, August 19, 2011 --

Operators: MRO (2), Hunt, Oasis, Oxy USA, WESCO, Whiting, and Hess

Fields: Wolf Bay, Gros Ventre, Simon Butte, Eland, Sanish, McGregory Buttes, Cedar Coulee, and Reunion Bay

Whiting was issued another permit in its cash cow, the Sanish.

Two wells released from confidential status today; neither are completed, waiting to be fracked.

CLR reported two nice wells from same pad: McCoy 2-18H and McCoy 3-18H in Williams County, 402, and 757, respectively

But it's two QEP wells on the same pad that got my attention: MHA 3-05-08H-147-92 and MHA 1-05-08H-147-92, with IPs of 1,211 and 2,533, respectively