Nice Op-Ed From Rigzone

A keeper. I will link it at the sidebar at the right, if I don't forget.

Link here to Rigzone.com.

Here are the "statements" and the authors' short answer. The link provides the very long discussion.

"The United States Is the Next Saudi Arabia of Energy."
Yes and no.

"The United States Could Be Energy Independent."
No.
 
"We Can Drill Our Way Out of High Prices."
Don't bet on it.
 
"The U.S. Energy Boom Will Create Millions of New Jobs."
Overstated.

"Strong Regulations Would Kill the Boom."
Dead wrong.

"The Energy Boom Is Bad for Climate Change."
It doesn't have to be.
 
"Barack Obama Is Bad for the Oil and Gas Industry."
False.

Deficit? What Deficit?

Updates

July 15, 2012: same story, another link.  For $26/gallon, one could ship diesel to Hawaii from North Dakota by C-17.

Original Post

No one argues that "green fuel" costs the US Navy $26/gallon vs $4.00/gallon for conventional fuel. The argument is simply "should we do it"?   Link here to a most incredible story. I'm impressed the admiral supports it; he has a) lots of money to burn; and, b) he is on the short list for next promotion.

And this is why no one should be worried about the deficit. "We" have plenty of opportunities to tighten our belt when / if austerity measures imposed on Greece are imposed on the US. Simply using "common sense" will manage a significant portion of the deficit.

For Investors Only: Mike Filloon Link on Bakken Pricing

Note: I am posting fewer and fewer stand-alone posts on investment articles. I am posting most of my investment stories at the "For Investors Only: Investing" at the sidebar at the right, near the top.  There will, of course, be some exceptions.

Mike Filloon on WTI, Bakken, western Canada pricing -- SeekingAlpha. Note, Mike says he has no positions in any of the companies he mentions in this article, if I understood his disclaimer correctly. I am traveling so I am not reading as closely as normal; limited time to blog.

In addition to fewer stand-alone posts on investing, I am also posting fewer stand-alone articles in general, posting them on previous pages as updates.  The sidebar at the right provides the links to the stories. The blog was getting out of control with lots of minor stories about the Bakken and energy in general. For example, I won't be posting / linking stories about every new business coming to Williston. Those stories will be aggregated under "Minor Bakken Notes," again at the sidebar at the right.

WBI: MDU Announces Name Change

Folks may have noticed "WBI" in several postings, including one regarding the proposed refinery in the Dickinson area. This is from MDU today:

Effective July 1, 2012, the operations of Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline Company, Bitter Creek Pipelines, LLC, and Total Corrosion Solutions, all subsidiary companies of MDU Resources Group, Inc., changed their name to be part of the newly created WBI Energy, Inc. group of companies.

Although all three companies have long been sister companies in the corporation, they operated somewhat separately under WBI Holdings, Inc. In early May 2012, WBI Energy was created to more actively manage all operations under a single overriding brand.

The natural gas transmission pipeline operations will be within WBI Energy Transmission, Inc. and the gathering pipeline and related energy services will be part of WBI Energy Midstream, LLC. The cathodic protection group, formerly known as Total Corrosion Solutions, will be known as WBI Energy Corrosion Services.

The company's recent emphasis on further expansion into midstream energy services also supports the name changes. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to study the development of a diesel topping plant in western North Dakota and also purchased a 50 percent interest in an existing natural gas processing facility, a crude oil pipeline gathering system, and a crude oil storage terminal and pipeline, all located in western North Dakota. These new assets operate as a part of the midstream portion of WBI Energy.

So, when you see "WBI," think MDU.

New Markets for Propane As Supply Greatly Exceeds Demand -- RBN Energy

RBN begins a new series on new markets for propane as supply exceeds demand -- a story about the Marcellus and export facilities on the East Coast vs the Gulf. Part I.