Director's Cut -- February 10, 2012

Link here.

Production hits all-time high in North Dakota (again):

• Dec, 2011, oil: 534,880 bopd (NEW all-time high) -- according to a Minot Press story, this ties us with California; if true, North Dakota is now tied for #3 among states for oil production, behind Alaska and Texas
• Nov, 2011, oil: 510,610

• Dec, 2011, producing wells: 6,471 (NEW all-time high)
• Nov, 2011, producing wells: 6,332

Permitting

• Dec, 2011: 180 (all time high: 245, 2 Nov 10)
• Nov, 2011: 169

Pricing

• Dec, 2011: sweet crude, $88.75
• Nov, 2011: sweet crude, $88.54

Director's comments:

"The warm dry weather through the fourth quarter of 2011 increased hydraulic fracturing activity and rapidly increased production. As a result, even with rig count up very slightly, daily production increased another 5%.

"Due to the delayed/non-approval of Keystone XL, the bottleneck at Cushing, OK, is now resulting in a North Dakota Sweet posted price to NYMEX-WTI discount of -18% and a NYMEX-WTI to Brent discount of -19%. This is driving an increasing amount of North Dakota crude oil onto rail transportation where it can reach destinations that pay Brent price."

EPA

"EPA regulation of hydraulic fracturing under the safe drinking water act through the diesel fuel provision in the 2005 energy policy act is moving slowly. The proposed guidance document(s) are not under review at OMB. When that review is finished, a 60-day public comment period is planned." [Unchanged from last report.]

With regard to flaring:

The first of the new very large gas processing systems ame on line January 20, 2012, adding 14% to the processing capacity in the state. This should be reflected in a declining percentage of gas being flared in the coming months.