Friday Links; Christmas in August: Twenty-Three (23) New Permits; Several Nice Wells, Including Three (3) Nice CLR Wells -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA; Waterless Fracking Update

I may have to do a stand-alone post just to curb my enthusiasm: 23 new permits in the Williston Basin.

• Operators: Hess (6), Surge Energy (5), CLR (5), WPX Energy (4), Oasis (2), Marquis Alliance
• Fields: Antelope (McKenzie), Truax (Williams), Souris (Bottineau), Upland (Divide), Elm Tree (McKenzie), Squires (Williams), Blue Buttes (McKenzie), Sanish (Mountrail -- a salt water disposal)

Five (5) producing wells completed:

• 21585, 1,210, CLR, Roadrunner 2-15H, Dunn,
• 21583, 1,087, CLR, Roadrunner 3-15H, Dunn,
• 21584, 1,081, CLR, Clover 3-10H, Dunn,
• 22495, 805, Liberty Resources, Borrud 156-101-1-12-1H, Williams,
• 20029, 792, Fidelity, Krables 22-15H, Mountrail

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For a few minutes this was lead story at CNBC website; it's now dropped a notch but still on first page: Oil companies desperately seek water amid Kansas drought.

Independent Stock Analysis energy links.
RBN Energy: ethanol -- crushing pain and mandate madness.  Yup.

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These wells come off confidential list on Friday:
20739, 826, Hess, HA-Thompson-152-95-1720H-2, Hawkeye oil field; t5/12; cum 23K 6/12;
20990, 209, Petro-Hunt, Berg 157-100-7D-6-1H, Marmon oil field, t5/12; cum 7,4595 bbls 6/12;
21079, 1,218, Petro-Hunt, Fort Berthold 148-94-19D-18-2H, Eagle Nest; t6/12; cum 6,962 bbls 6/12;

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Just so I don't forget. There has been a lot of chatter about oil companies losing their leases because they can't get to their permitted/leased sites fast enough. From NOG 2Q12 press release:

Northern Oil currently controls approximately 865 undeveloped net acres that are prospective for the Bakken and Three Forks and could potentially expire in the remainder of 2012, representing approximately 0.5% of Northern Oil's overall Williston Basin position.

I can only assume operators are as well positioned. Lots of chatter about a non-issue. 

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Off-shore permitorium continues. From Oil and Gas Journal:

The Obama administration did not properly consult with coastal states as it prepared its 2012-17 US Outer Continental Shelf management program, seven governors from coastal states charged. “In the plan, the administration fails to expand adequate access to resource-abundant areas in the Arctic and fails to establish leasing in the Mid- and South-Atlantic,” they said in an Aug. 8 letter to US President Barack Obama.

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For investors only:

Houston-based oilfield service company National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NOV) will acquire Robbins & Myers in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2.5 billion, NOV said Thursday.

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Fracking without water?

Chimera Energy Corp [website] announced Thursday that they have executed a Memorandum of Understanding with PEMEX regarding the utilization of CHMR's revolutionary exothermic Non-Hydraulic Extraction method throughout Latin America. The Non-Hydraulic Extraction method is a revolutionary Shale Oil extraction technology designed to safely and economically replace hydraulic fracturing without negative environmental impacts. The new process uses no water.

But does it use diesel?

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A Note for the Granddaughters

A tradition for our summer in Los Angeles: taking the granddaughters to Griffith Park in Los Angeles where they can ride the ponies/horses (just part of all we do in Griffith Park).

So, today, we started off with pony riding in Griffith Park. Both of them are familiar with the routine, and very comfortable around horses, but it was fun to watch them hold hands as they got closer to the horses, quietly giving each other a bit of support.

This will turn out to be one of my all-time favorite photos of the granddaughters: