Twenty-Two (22) More Permits -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA

Number of active rigs: 190, steady, but up one

Twenty-two (22) new permits:

• Operators: SM Energy (6), CLR (4), Triangle (3), XTO (2), Fidelity (2), Hess, Enerplus, Armstrong, Whiting, Baytex
• Fields: Heart Butte (Dunn), Davis Buttes (Stark), Antelope Creek (McKenzie), Bluffton (Divide), Heart River (Stark), Dutch Henry Butte (Whiting), Dollar Joe (Williams), Heart Butte (Dunn)

Comments: Armstrong Operating has a permit for a wildcat in Bottineau County;

*********************

Note to the Granddaughters

Tomorrow the older granddaughter will be participating in her first swim meet. The venue is at a technical school/swimming pool where we have not been before. I decided to take a ride out to see what it looked like, to make sure we knew the route to take tomorrow when we go. It's fourteen miles from where the granddaughters live. I biked it and it took exactly two hours. I'm now on my way back. About half-way back I stopped for a drink at McDonald's, and to check the news, and to post the permitting activity (which I just did above). McDonald's never fails: always a wi-fe connection.

Checking the news I am absolutely amazed how quickly the price of gasoline shot up in California. Folks need to realize that hardly anything out of the ordinary occurred: a couple of small refinery fires (on opposite coasts?) -- and that was about it, as far as I know. Everything else is either regulatory or calendar-based (also regulatory) -- for example, the switchover from "summer" gas to "winter" gas in California. If this is all it takes to drive the price of gasoline up another full dollar per gallon and, in some cases, result in spot shortages, can you imagine what would happen in a "real" situation?

It really surprises me that this is all it takes. In fact I wonder if there might be some individual service stations taking advantage of minimal shortages.  There's a whole story line here but I don't have time (nor the interest) to develop it.

Although the spike in the price of gasoline will be short-lived, perhaps two weeks at most, it does give economists, analysts, and talking heads data with regard to what Americas are willing or able to pay for their gasoline. It's an important data point.  [How prescient: five minutes after writing this, this report, that the spike is already easing: http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL1E8L59K920121005. It will be interesting to see where this settles out. If the price of gasoline comes down far enough it will make it easier to pay those increased taxes the Californians vote on themselves.]

But as I've stated over and over, the Californians, and I assume most Americans, are content/satisfied with how things are going in the country right now. They are content/satisfied with how their elected leaders are doing. Most incumbents will be re-elected. I don't see any ground swell developing to throw anyone out. In fact, in California, they are so content/satisfied with how things are going, they are voting to increase taxes on themselves.

I have probably never felt so comfortable going into any election than I feel going into this election. Polling suggests four more years.