Bloomberg: Does It Ever Quit -- Yet Another Obama Energy Company Files For Bankruptcy -- Volt Battery Supplier

This is getting to be a joke.

Ener1 Inc., the owner of a company that received a $118 million U.S. Energy Department grant to make electric-car batteries, filed for bankruptcy protection after defaulting on bond debt amid heavy competition from Asia.

Ener1, based in New York, makes lithium-ion batteries for plug-in electric cars, which were scrutinized by federal auto- safety officials after a General Motors Co. Chevrolet Volt caught fire, people familiar with the probe said in November. A two-month federal safety investigation cleared the Volt of danger, and GM is beginning a marketing effort to tout the car as safe and innovative.

Under President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package, the Energy Department awarded grants in an attempt to create a U.S. electric-car industry. Ener1’s EnerDel unit, based in Indianapolis, was the grant recipient and has received about $55 million of its grant so far.

All I can say is this: truly incredible. 

Actually, I can say one more thing: Solyndra. 

Results of BLM Lease Sales -- January 24, 2012 -- Some Parcels for $9,700/Acre

The map.

The results.

BLM.GOV press release.

Eye-popping, selected:

• Parcel #5: 80 acres; $8,300/acre; total -- $660,000. ----Sierra Resources
• Parcel #15: 39 acres; $3,300/acre; total -- $128,700. -- Davis Exploration
• Parcel #16: 40 acres; $9,700/acre; total -- $388,000. -- Marshall & Winston
• Parcel #17: 160 acres; $4,700/acre; total --$752,000. -- KOG
• Parcel #18: 480 acres; $3,500/acre; total -- $1.12 million. --- Davis Exploration
• Parcel #19: 40 acres; $6,800/acre; total -- $272,000. --- Davis Exploration
• Parcel #20: 40 acres; $8,100/acre; total -- $324,000. --- TDB Resources
• Parcel #21: 160 acres: $2,200/acre; total -- $352,000. - SM Energy
• Parcel #22: 18 acres; $2,800/acre; total -- $50,400. ---- CLR
• Parcel #26: 2 acres; $4,900/acre; total ---- $9,800. ------- Nova NRG
• Parcel #30: 643 acres; $3,100/acre; total -- $2 million --- CLR

It looks like CLR picked up about 7,221 acres.

The following best enjoyed with volume at twice normal:



Finders, Keepers, Tom Stormy Trio Featuring Rhythm Sophie

So, Who's In The Bakken -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA

The following is a  list of advertisers in the Williston Herald glossy, "Talkin' the Bakken," the Year in Review, 2011, December, 2011.

Not "proofed" for typographical errors. I will gladly correct/edit any entry if asked. Groupings not entirely accurate. Not placed in any particular order.

Neset Consulting Service: Tioga
PLS Inc site consulting: Epping

Marquis Plaza & Suites
Missouri Flats Inn
Solsten Hotel: now open, Trenton, ND -- man-camp
M&M Cafe: Sidney

Primo Truck Park: truck stop; Sidney, MT

Western Cooperative Credit Union
ASB, American State Bank: Williston
Capital Solutions Bancorp, no physical address provided
Riviera Finance: Williston
Williston Basin/Mid-North America Stock Fund
Papineau Insurance: Tioga
DAWA Solutions Group: "701"

PCS LLC, Business Brokers
Clark & Associates Land Brokers, Inc: throughout the midwest and west
Pifer's Auction and Realty: Moorhed (sic), MN; Bowman, Bismarck
Empire Oil Company: Williston
Irish Oil & Gas, Inc: Bismarck
North Dakota Guaranty and Title Company: throughout the Bakken
Todd Kringen, private oil and gas mineral buying and selling: no physical address

Statoil
Hess
G3 Operating
Whiting

Ensign United States Drilling, Inc.: no physical address given

Armor Builders, Subcontracting and Turn-Key Solutions to all building needs
AgriComm Building: Williston
RAS International, specialized remote site structures for petroleum/mining industries, Alexandria, MN
Kleven Construction, Williston
American Builders: Williston, throughout ND
Advanced Building Services, Williston; Louisiana; Texas; California; Arkansas
Badlands Steel, Williston
ClearSpan Fabric Structures; no physical location given
Iseman Homes, Williston
Schutl Homes;Liechty Homes; Williston
Centennial Homes: Williston, Dickinson, Bismarck
Portable Crew Camps; no physical address given
Pierce: housing, RV, leasing: Billings, Great Falls, Kalispell
Dakota Custom Cabinets & Homes: Dickinson
Furniture & Interior Finishing Group: no physical address; "701"
Miller Insulation: Williston; throughout ND, UT, WY
E-Z Build Your Own: no physical address
Legacy Steel Buildings: no physical address
Bozeman Brick Block and Tile: Bozeman
REMS: off-grid housing: no physical address
Concrete Coatings: Williston

AES: civil engineering, structural and electrical engineering, surveying, mapping, throughout ND, MT
Morrison Maierle, engineering, surveyors; no physical address
Inland Tarp and Liner: no physical address given
Today's Tarp & Shoe Repair: Williston
Morrell International: staffing and lodging; no physical address given
Worker Camp Units: no physical address given
Mondak Portables: no physical address; "701"
Basic Rim Constructors: no physical address
Beamco, engineering and manufacturing company: "701"
Epic Engineering: "701"

Larson Electronics, LLC, lighting: Kemp, TX

Waste Control International: Williston phone number

Mac's Hardware: Bismarck, Minot, coming to Dickinson
Kenyon Noble, lumber, hardware: Bozeman

Kupper Chevrolet, Mandan, North Dakota; 2nd ad
Murphy Motors, Chevy, Cadillac, Buick, GMC, Williston
Murphy Rentals: Minot
CrankyApe.com: Powersport, RV and Marine Auctions; no physical address given
Rocky Toppers (toppers for pickups): Billings, MT
Arrow Truck Sales: no physical address
Badland Truck Sales: Glendive
Erickson Trucks N Parts, physical address not provided
Ajax To Waukesha Industrial Engine Repair: "701"
Watford City RV Rentals: Watford City

Mitchell's Oil Field Service, Inc; physical address not given
Basic Energy Services, Williston, Sidney, Glendive
FabcoPower, Chester NY 10918
Petroleum Services, Williston
Industrial Equipment, Williston
OilField Integrators, "701"; electrical contractors
Panther Inspection, drill pipe clean and visual; Williston phone number
GO Wireline: Williston
Frontier Wellhead: Williston, Watford City, Sidney; Colorado; Utah
Sanjel: Everywhere including Williston
Halliburton: Williston
Mud Masters Group: Glendive, MT
AWC, oil field, remote power: no physical address given
Wanzek: natural gas pumping, gathering, terminals: no physical address
JL Bryan Equipment, Inc; oil equipment, heaters: Perryton, TX
Lawlar's Hydro-vac Service: Baker, MT
Crane Solutions: Savannah, GA
Borsheim Crane Service: no physical address; in Williston
Interstate PowerSystems: Williston
Peterson Equipment (Pisten Bully, Thiokol, Formatic, Bmbardier): no physical address
Journey Energy Services: based out of Williston; no physical address; no "701" phone number
Altronic GTI Bi-Fuel: Minot, Dickinson, Bismarck
Tartan Controls, completions drilling services: Denver, Houston
Tioga Machine Shop: Tioga
BMP Enterprises, downhole monitoring: no physical address
EV: Downhole Video: no physical address
PTP Pro Tank: Minot
BTL, fabricators: no physical address
Missouri Basin Well Service, INC: "701"
J&L Pitliners: Sidney, MT

The Industrial Group, pipeline: Ray, ND
Border Steel, structural steel and pipe: Williston
Do-All Metal Fabrications: Glenburn, ND; Estevan, SK CAN; Nisku, AB CAN
MD Hose & Fitting: Sidney

Kotana Communications: throughout the Bakken; no physical address

Bakken Express, trucking: Tacoma, Washington
Diamond B Trucking, Inc: Plentywood, MT
DC&B Hotshot and Trucking: Williston
T. Montana's Hotshot Service: no physical address, ND, SD, T, CO, MN, WY
Golden Eagle Trucking: Sidney, MT
Overland Aerial Photograph, Williston

Party Bus, Williston

R Rooster BBQ, Williston

Flame Resistant Clothing, Wrangler, no physical address given
Horizon Resources, clothing: Williston, Ray, Fairview
Cowboy Way Western Store: no physical address
Beaver Creek Archaeology: Mandan

BNSF Logistics

Trinity Health: no physical address; Minot-based, I believe

Drug and Alcohol Testing: throughout the Bakken
Badlands Integrity Group, alcohol testing, more: no physical address, "701"

Wholesale Textiles: no physical address

Double Helicopters: Mandan,ND

MDU, utilities: Williston

McCody Concrete: "701"

C&D Water Services: Williston

Island At Rock Creek: Red Lodge, MT; leisure

Five (5) New Permits -- All Wells Released: Fracked! -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA

January 26, 2012, daily activity report --

Operators: BEXP, Crescent Point , Chesapeake, Whiting, Corinthian

Fields: Alger, North Souris

Three wildcats: one each for Crescent Point in Williams; Chesapeake in Hettinger; and, Whiting in McKenzie.

Seven (7) wells came off the confidential list. All were completed/fracked!  But results were disappointing for several based on IPs, reported elsewhere. On the other hand, two were quite nice:

• 20091, 1,229, EOG, Horse Camp 2-11H, Dunn County
• 20227, 1,060, Whiting, Fladeland 14-18WH, Mountrail County

T

This is not an investment site; be advised of the disclaimer for this site.

But earnings are out for T.

The company only lost $1.12/share compared to an 18-cent gain in comparable former year quarter. But excluding special items, T earned 42 cents vs 55 cents, last year.


Nine out of ten iPhone buyers are buying the 4S.

It's too bad the Justice Department is holding the US back in the world of telecommunications. I wish everyone could see the overhead, nighttime photo of Seoul, South Korea, in a recent issue of National Geographic and then compare that to the US.  This is a stark contrast between the US and a country that was absolutely impoverished and war-torn in 1950's.

TYLER -- TYLER -- TYLER -- ALERT -- ALERT -- WIlliston Basin, North Dakota, USA

ALERT -- TYLER -- ALERT

There is no breaking news on any huge well targeting the Tyler formation this morning, but I get a lot of questions about the Tyler formation.

I now have a definitive source.

The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources has a great story about the history of horizontal drilling in the Tyler formation.

Go to this link and then click on the top story to get to another link to open a PDF file.

Or go direct to the publication, but you still have to click on another link to get the PDF file.

Again, a "tip of the hat" to Don for alerting me to this link as well as to 3,487 earlier links over the past three years.

North Dakota May Have Source For Manufacture of Ceramic Proppant -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

At the link, click on the top story at the right: Southwest ND Kaolinite Study

The vast majority of oil wells that are being drilled in the Williston Basin employ hydraulic fracturing as a completion technique.

These wells use, on average, three to five million pounds of proppant, be it natural sand or spherical ceramic beads, to keep these fractures open.

Because of the tremendous amount of product utilized in North Dakota, the North Dakota Geological Survey undertook 1) a study to find local sand deposits that would meet the criteria and could be used as natural proppant and 2) a study to find local clay resources (kaolinite) that could be utilized in the manufacture of ceramic proppant.

The study is on-going.

My hunch is that some entrepreneur between South Heart and Hebron is about to start a whole new industry, clay --> ceramic proppants. And unlike the Chinese proppants, ND ceramic proppants will be radiation-free.

By the way, one of the best little books I have ever read is Graham Cairns-Smith's book on the origin of life. It's a very, very short book. I think one can read it one evening. He provides a convincing scientific argument that God indeed used clay to fashion man. But it was a somewhat complicated recipe and required a few years to bake.

Yes, Virginia, There is Methane in Ground Water Wells -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

I would direct EPA and other faux-environmentalists concerned with natural gas in well waters to read the study in this month's issue of Geo News, the official publication of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources.

When you get to that link, you can't miss the index on the right; click on the third story down with the word "methane" in the title.

Yes, Virginia, there is natural gas in well waters, but it doesn't come from fracking. The methane, or natural gas, comes from coal seams.

Zeus put natural gas in well water to ensure some good old political theater between the oil industry and the faux-environmentalists. If you know the history of the Trojan War (Homer's version, The Iliad), you will know that the gods participated, prolonging the conflict to enjoy the spectacle. And as much as Zeus thought the whole war was a lark, Hera took it very, very seriously. But I digress.

Numbers You Can Trust -- Sort Of About the Bakken, But Not Really

Link here to a CBS Miami story.

This is a story about a new huge oil rig off Cuba but within "90 miles" of Florida operated by a Spanish oil company and jointly financed by the Chinese.

So, while our administration slow rolls our oil industry in the Gulf (no links; I'm tired of linking universal truths), bans oil from Canada, and promotes the Brazilian oil industry, China is moving into the Gulf "big-time."

But this is what caught my eye and why I enjoy following the Bakken:

Repsol is the the first of several international companies that will use the Scarabeo 9 to look for oil in the the Florida Straits, where the US Geological Survey estimates about five billion barrels of oil sit under the ocean floor. The Cuban government thinks the amount is much higher -- around 20 billion barrels. 

In the Bakken:

CLR is one of many independent companies that will use the huge H&P rigs to look for oil in the Williston Basin, where the US Geological Survey esimates about 3.6 billion barrels of oil sit under the prairie plains. The CEO of CLR thinks the amount is much higher -- around 24 billion barrels.

One of those two indented paragraphs was written by a professional journalist; the other paragraph was written by an armchair observer of the oil industry.

A "tip of the hat" to Greg who sent me the link, where you can find him at Four-Fifty Gas.