Solar -- Not So Bright -- Source: The LA Times; Also, A Successful Bakken Connection

Link to LA Times: the front page, top of the fold story: solar power plants burden the counties that host them.

Yup.

Data points:

• BrightSource Energy, Hidden Hills solar plant, 230 miles northeast of LA
• $2.7 billion project
• property tax revenue a fraction of the customary amount: plant qualifies for solar tax exclusion
• fewer than 10 local workers would land permanent positions
• just 5% of the construction jobs would be filled by county workers
• construction workers will spend their money in Nevada, just across the state line from the plant

But then this, from the story:

Worse, the project would cost the county $11 million to $12 million during the 30-month construction phase, with much of the money going to upgrade a historic two-lane road to the plant. Once the plant begins operation, the county estimates taxpayers will foot the bill for nearly $2 million a year in additional public safety and other services.

This story is taking place in Inyo County, California, but two other California counties are discovering the same thing: Riverside and San Bernardino, just east of LA (in fact, an outsider hardly knows when one crosses from LA County to counties north, east, and south).

And it gets worse: solar developers have to buy land to offset the loss of habitat caused by the solar projects, and that land cannot be developed, i.e., little to no potential tax revenue.

More from the story:

Two of the largest solar plants in the world are under construction in San Bernardino County. But county officials are not sure if revenue from the projects will offset the cost of additional fire and safety services, which analysts say will amount to millions of dollars a year.

For example, the $2.2-billion Ivanpah solar project at the county's eastern border has agreed to pay $377,000 annually, but that may not be enough to cover the county's new costs related to the plant. The county doesn't know how much solar plants will drain from its budget because the projects are being planned and approved too quickly for adequate analysis, officials say.

For Inyo County, population less than 20,000.  $2 million/year for services:  $400/family of four/year in additional county taxes; for the $12 million highway upgrade, $2,400/family of four/probably spread out over several years.
 
Now, about that bullet train to nowhere.

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

By the way, an outstanding niche for solar is in the oil patch, an incredible story that was posted quite some time ago. Go to the website to see where solar makes sense:

Medora Corporation is the #1 world leader for in-situ water body treatment. We have thousands of installations throughout the U.S. and 15+ countries, and are solving serious water quality problems in many types of water reservoirs.

We design and produce both SolarBee^© solar-powered and GridBee™ a.c. electrical equipment. All of our equipment is designed for extreme reliability with a 25-year minimum design life.

From an earlier post:

February 10, 2012: North Dakota solar start-up, 70 employees, headquartered in Dickinson, ND, will be honored at a presidential event.

SolarBee Inc. of Dickinson will be recognized at the White House for starting a successful business in a rural region.

SolarBee makes solar-powered machines to improve water quality. They employ about 70 people. Their machines are used in lakes, water towers and waste water facilities across the U.S. and in several foreign countries. 

The Medora Corporation is headquartered in Dickinson, with international headquarters in Fargo. 

Apple iPad #1 Choice Among Web Shoppers on Black Friday

Link here to LA Times.

On the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally the kickoff to the holiday shopping season, online sales jumped 20.7% over last year, according to study from IBM. That beat the 17.4% growth over Thanksgiving in Web sales.

The Apple iPad was top choice for online buyers, comprising almost 10% of total Web shopping. That's followed by the iPhone at 8.7% and Android-powered devices at 5.5%.

The operative word was plural: "Android-powered devices."

One item, the Apple iPad, comprising almost 10% of total Web shopping. It will be interesting to hear how the iPad mini did.

Microsoft was not mentioned in the article.

The First Bakken Well

Updates

June 11, 2013: this website on the Bakken received an interesting comment today:

I came from Fargo to Tioga in 1952 to work for Christianson who built a lot of homes there. I bought a new 1952 Chevrolet from the car dealer in Tioga. I met the Iverson boys and their pretty sister. I was 17 years old. I remember Clarence would come into the bowling and pool hall in Tioga with ten $100 dollar bills pinned on his necktie. Harry Truman came to Tioga.

November 24, 2012: whenever I get comments like the first comment below, I feel very, very humbled.  I cannot express adequately the appreciation I have for folks who take the time to explain the Bakken, and correct my errors. I moved the comment up here because some folks may not read comments. My original post has some wrong information in it. I prefer not to change it, so I put lines through the major errors and refer the reader back to the comment:

The H.O. Bakken # l never produced oil from the "Bakken." The zone labeled Englewood was what we know today as the "Bakken." The Lyleton is today's "Three Forks." 

The Upper Devonian is now called the Duperow. The geologist's of 1952 thought the shale section at 9600 feet was much like the Englewood Shale of Alberta but they soon realized it was not the Englewood. 

The geologist at the H.O. Bakken simply put brackets around this section on the well log and for the  lack of a name simply wrote "Bakken." In later geologic discussions it became common for all geologists to refer to this zone as the "Bakken." The name stuck.  

Another distinction for the H.O. Bakken #1 was that it was the first well to produce oil from the Madison Formation. This zone had been overlooked in the Clarence Iverson discovery.  

The Bakken started to "unload oil and drilling mud" while the crew was pulling pipe to change bit. The well was then drill-stem tested and then it flowed oil to surface! That kicked off the major development of Madison fields along the Nesson Anticline in Williams, Mountrail and McKenzie Counties. The Madison was the primary  zone in the Tioga and Beaver Lodge Fields as well as many others. The deeper Duperow, Siluran, Interlake and Red River zones were found at the southern Beaver Lodge, Charlson, Blue Buttes fields, etc.

Original Post

From The Dickinson Press, November 24, 2012:

The Amerada Petroleum Co. began drilling the Henry O. Bakken well on July 13, 1951, and first encountered oil on Sept. 5 of that year, according to a program for an oil strike celebration the family held weeks later.

Production didn’t begin on the well until April 1952, according to the North Dakota Industrial Commission. Today, Bakken wells are drilled in less than a month.

“Back in those days, that was a huge undertaking, drilling to that depth,” Neset said.

The Henry O. Bakken well produced a total of 255,526 barrels of oil, which is a significant amount for a well that was drilled vertically, Neset said. She believes they must have encountered a naturally occurring fracture in the rock layer to get that much production.

Going to the NDIC website, this well now has a different name, the name provided at the time Amerada Hess elected to abandon it. I may have missed it, but I did not find the sundry form that documented the name change.

• 32, PA/217, Amerada Hess, Tioga-Madison Unit G-123/Henry O. Bakken No. 1, a Madison well, according to the site, s7/13/51, t4/16/52; cum 255,556 bbls, last produced August 1967; PNA in 1990;

Yes, only the 32nd North Dakota oil and gas permit. Officially it is described as a Madison well (the Charles formation, Mission Canyon, and Lodgepole).

Unless I missed it there was no "Bakken" formation identified. A handwritten stratigraphy profile:

• Lodgepole, 8,500
• Englewood, 9,615
• Lyleton, 9,750
• Upper Devonian, 9,910
• Devonian salt, 10,960
• Ashern, 11,500
• Stony Mountain, 12,450
• Red River, 12, 550
• Winnipeg Shale, 13,410
• Winnipeg Sand, 13,559
• Total depth, 13,709

The Upper Devonian would have been the upper Bakken, the Devovian salt the middle Bakken. See comment below and/or in the update.

The geographic location of permit #32:

• 1,985 feet FNL, 659 feet FWL, 12-157-95.

Bloomberg Asking If American Can Emulate Germany's Renewable "Success" ...

... if this is how you define success: US electric rate: 10 cents/kwh; Germany's electric rate: 30 cents/kwh and will rise another 6 cents soon as an additional renewable energy surcharge kicks in. 

I absolutely wasn't going to post/link this story [if the link is broken, it's a Bloomberg article on whether the US can emulate Germany's renewable energy "success] because .... because ... well, the reporter failed to talk about Germany's return to coal..... but some things, like burrs under one's saddle just have to be dealt with. So, let's see what the German mainstream media has to say, the inconvenient truth the Bloomberg editor failed to mention:

Germany's switch to renewable energies is driving up electricity bills across the country, with a green technology surcharge set to rise by nearly 50 percent next year [this is on top of green energy taxes already in place]. With frustration over the high price tag, it promises to become a key issue in next year's election campaign.

Germany's four leading electrical grid operators -- RWE, E.ON, Vattenfall and EnBW -- announced on Monday that they would be hiking by 47 percent the charge to consumers that goes into financing subsidies for producers of renewable energy. For the time being, solar, wind and biomass power make up a quarter of the country's electricity supply but are set to account for 80 percent by 2050. [The Germans are switching to coal in lieu of nuclear due to Japanese nuclear debacle; the demand for electricity will increase significantly by 2050, assuming Germany continues to be an exporter, so requirement for renewables will also increase.]

Germany's status as a global leader in clean energy technology has often been attributed to the population's willingness to pay a surcharge on power bills [industry is exempt -- see linked article].

But now that surcharge for renewable energy is to rise to 5.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2013 from 3.6 in 2012. For an average three-person household using 3,500 kWh a year, the 47 percent increase amounts to an extra €185 on the annual electricity bill.

This if from Germany's most popular magazine, Der Spiegel. Just think, the US can strive to emulate Germany's renewable energy "success."

The 5.5 cent + 3.6 cent --> 9.1 cents. That's just the surcharge.

North Dakotan pay about 10 cents/kwh. In 2010, North Dakotans paid about 7.5 cents/kwh; Californians about 14.5 cents/kwh. The price of electricity in Germany (before new surcharge) is 31.5 cents. Add the 5.5 cents --> 37 cents/kwh, which is exactly what the Hawaiians pay for their electricity. For the rest of the US, the range is 7 to 14 cents. From wikipedia.

How the Bakken Got Its Name

How the Bakken got its name, from The Dickinson Press, November 24, 2012.

Lorin is the only son of Henry O. Bakken. The Bakken formation — the pool of oil that lies beneath western North Dakota, northeast Montana and part of Canada — is named for the well drilled in 1951 and 1952 on the Henry O. Bakken farm northeast of Tioga.

While Lorin Bakken, 59, says he feels honored, he avoids the attention he could easily draw to himself. He still lives in Tioga, but he keeps such a low profile that many people don’t know he’s connected to the Bakken boom.

He lives in a modest house, doesn’t own a car and hasn’t worked since he stopped working on his family’s farm in 1992. He primarily keeps to himself, although he regularly attends Zion Lutheran Church, eats lunch twice a week at the senior center and does errands in downtown Tioga.

Lorin said he was private before his name became famous, and he hasn’t changed.

There are several other bits of trivia in the story that make it worth reading. Perhaps the most striking is a reminder how "private" some North Dakota farmers are. Salt of the earth. 

The Tyler -- an Update

Updates

November 25, 2012: 10,000 acres ("3,000 acres prior to our purchase of Upton Resources assets [7,000 acres ] for a total of 10,000 acres" -- Williston Exploration company e-mail)

Original Post

Link here at Platts, November 23, 2012.

North Dakota’s Tyler Formation, a black, petroliferous rock some 317 million years old in the prolific Williston Basin, has been touted as the next big thing. Also called the “baby Bakken,” North Dakota geologist and consultant Kathleen Neset reports seeing an uptick in leasing activity around the formation.

“I’m already seeing companies lease property in Tyler,” Neset says. “Prices are starting to increase,” said Neset, who has consulted for companies including Hess, Denbury, Continental, Williams, and Whiting Oil & Gas. 

One producer impatient to plow into the Tyler is Williston Exploration, which holds about 3,000 acres there. The company is looking to invest $15-$20 million in the next five to six years to drill five or six Tyler development wells. Williston Exploration has drilled one Tyler well and operates and owns partial stakes in 15 producing wells ...

... the state’s “best” estimate for the Tyler right now is 1 billion barrels.

On-Line Poker, Illegal In The US; Borrowing Money On-Line, Legal

From Plain Green Loans.com.

Verbatim, cut and paste from the linked site (at the very bottom of the site):

First-time Plain Green Loans customers typically qualify for an installment loan of $250 to $1,000 with an APR of 299.17% to 378.95%, or 40% less than the average 603.84% APR for a payday loan. 

For example, a $700 loan from Plain Green Loans at 364.00% APR would require 14 bi-weekly installment payments of $116.63. After the 14th successful payment, your loan would be paid in full.

A typical payday loan of $700 with an APR of 603.84% and a fourteen (14) day term would require one payment of $862.29. Typical payday loan pricing is based on Texas-originated loans facilitated by credit service organizations such as CashNet USA® (664.30%), ChecknGo® (661.77%) and MyCashNow (485.45%) as of August 31, 2012.

Wow, a Plain Green Loan is 40% less than the average 600% APR payday loan.

Something tells me this issue is not addressed in the Dodd-Frank banking bill whose theme seems to be that publicly traded banks are taking advantage of uneducated borrowers, savers, and lenders.

But who knows? Only 133 of the 398 rules of Dodd-Frank have been finalized. Maybe there will be some restrictions placed on interest rates charged for on-line loans.

And to think on-line poker is illegal in the US!

Yes, Greenhouse Gases Are Very Powerful -- Powerful Enough to Damage Trees ...

Updates

November 25, 2012: bizarre twist to the story.  It appears "the gas company" responded to calls of natural gas odors. The employee started poking around, looking for the source of the leak. He inadvertently punctured a high-pressure natural gas line; the club filled with natural gas; and then exploded. Current conclusions:

"They have determined that human error as opposed to a fault of the gas infrastructure provided the fuel for the explosion," fire marshal Coan's office said of investigators in the release. "Exactly whose human error will be the subject of the [Massachusetts] Department of Public Utilities’ ongoing investigation."

So, the spin game has begun. There was no fault with the gas infrastructure. It was some employee poking around and inadvertently punctured a high-pressure natural gas line. Okay.

The moral of the story, so far: if you smell what seems to be a natural gas leak, just use a deodorizing spray to cover up the smell. Do not -- repeat, do not -- call the gas company if they are going to simply poke around high-pressure gas lines.

Original Post

.... and level strip clubs.

I cannot make this up. [Update: I received one comment suggesting this was the dumbest post ever: interestingly, CBS has picked up the same story after my earlier post. Forty-two (42) buildings damaged -- some beyond repair -- by greenhouse gas explosion. See below. Yes, a reporter said this was the result of greenhouse gasses. I cannot make this up.]

From the Boston Globe, gas explosion levels Springfield strip club.

The Springfield, Massachusetts, explosion leveled a "downtown strip club in the city's entertainment district," but fortunately there were no injuries. The odor of natural gas had been detected earlier in the afternoon and officials had evacuated the building and the surrounding area. The explosion blew out windows in several nearby windows. Interestingly enough, the odor of leaking gas had been detected earlier this year, but apparently the owners of the club used spray deodorizers to mask the smell. Okay. Problem number 1.

From the article:

The blast comes less than a week after a Boston University-led study showed that Boston’s aging underground pipeline system is riddled with more than 3,300 leaks.

And then this, verbatim, cut and paste from near the end of the article:

While the vast majority [of those 3,300 leaks] are not considered a safety risk, the study underscored the explosion risk and environmental damage — the gas is a powerful greenhouse gas and can damage trees — that exists under older city sidewalks and streets. Study authors said any older city — Springfield is one — would have similar problems.

And that, as much as anything, I guess, exemplifies the danger of greenhouse gases. And America's college educated.

But it is true: those 3,300 leaks are probably pouring more natural gas into the atmosphere than Bakken wells. Remember, only a tiny minority of all wells ever drilled in North Dakota are still flaring natural gas, and those that are will soon be hooked up to non-leaking natural gas pipelines.

The question is this: is there a list of those 3,300 leaks? One would think inquiring minds would like to know. Especially if one lives in Springfield. And exactly how is "majority" defined? Based on the article, it appears there could be as many as 1,000 natural gas leaks in Springfield, MA, that are a safety risk -- how many more strip clubs will have to be leveled before officials take action?

Cue up FEMA.

Week 47: November 18, 2012 -- November 24, 2012

Bakken Operations
Update on Halcon
Crude-by-rail, RBN Energy, nice update
Fourteen wells sited in one section
Chesapeake's corporate presentation: no mention of the Bakken; two CHK wells with IPs of 0
Whiting to test a horizontal in a legacy formation in 2013
The seller of those 120,000 acres to CLR: Samson Resources

Economic development
Belle Fourche and more Belle Fourche
Sidney, MT: 20-acre shopping center, Reynolds Market to anchor
Bakken might need 50,000 additional workers in next few years

The December Dockets, December, 2012

Both OXY USA and Newfield were absent, though OXY did have a few cases but not new drilling; XTO with XOM's deep pockets moving to 8 wells on 1280-acre units; Liberty Resources also moving to 8 wells on 1280-acre units; Baytex moving to 7 wells on 1280-acre units; a couple of cases of multiple wells on 320-acre and 640-acre units; more than usual (?) number of requests to maximize production for a month or so (I assume to give them time to put the natural gas pipelines in); for as many cases as there were, not so many pooling cases, interestingly. Others might note things I missed. 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012 (13 pages; cases 19223 - 19318)

19223: Kornkven Family, LLP, appropriate spacing, Souris-Spearfish/Madison Pool, Botteaneau County
19224, OXY USA, proper spacing for the Vanville-Bakken, Burke
19225, OXY USA, proper spacing for the Dimond-Bakken, re-define field limits; Burke;
19226: Cornerstone, proper spacing for Northeast Foothills-Bakken, Burke
19227: SM Energy, temp spacing, Bogner 13-20H, Stark
19228, CLR, proper spacing, Big Gulch-Bakken, Dunn
19229, Hess, proper spacing, Short Creek-Bakken, Burke
19230, Hess, proper spacing, Timber Creek-Bakken, McKenzie
19231, Whiting, temp spacing, Amber Elizabeth 9-4H, McKenzie
19232, Whiting, amend, Sanish-Bakken, Brookbank State 44-9TFH, Mountrail
19233, Hess, amend, Beaver Lodge-Bakken, establish an overlapping 2560-acre unit, Williams
19234, Hess, amend, Alkali Creek-Bakken, establish 2 overlapping 2560-acre units; Mountrail
19235, Hess, amend, Robinson Lake-Bakken establish an overlapping 2560-acre unit, Mountrail
19236, Hess, amend, Dollar Joe-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Williams
19237, Hess, amend, Oliver-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Williams
19238, Hess, amend, Ray-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Williams
19239, Hess, amend, Wheelock-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Williams
19240, Hess, amend, Sather Lake-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, McKenzie
19241, Hess, amend, Truax-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, McKenzie, Williams
19242, KOG, temp spacing, Schilke 16-21-1H, Williams
19243, MRO, amend, Saxon-Bakken, establish a 1280-acre unit, 4 wells, Dunn
18999, cont'd
19244, American Eagle, extend Colgan-Bakken; establish 2 800-acre units; 8 wells on each; Divide
19245, Marquis, SWD
19246, SBG, SWD
19247, Oasis, amend, Missouri Ridge-Bakken, 8 wells on each 1280-acre unit; Williams
19248, Oasis, amend Baker-Bakken, 8 wells on each 1280-acre unit, McKenzie, Williams
19249, Oasis, pooling, Cottonwood-Bakken, Burke
19250, Oasis, pooling, Cottonwood-Bakken, Burke
19251, Oasis, pooling, Bull Butte-Bakken (Kalil), Williams
19252, Oasis, pooling, Tyrone-Bakken, Williams
19253, Oasis, pooling, Cow Creek-Bakken, Williams
19254, Oasis, pooling, Camp-Bakken, McKenzie
19255, Oasis, pooling, Camp-Bakken, McKenzie
19256, Petro-Hunt, Elk-Bakken, 5 wells on each1280-acre unit; McKenzie
19257, KOG, flaring, Schilke 16-21-1H, Williams
19258, KOG, flaring, Nelson 5-18H, Williams
19259, KOG, flaring, Sorenson Federal 15-5H, McKenzie
19260: KOG, flaring East Grizzly Federal 3-24-13-3H, McKenzie
19261, KOG, flaring, East Grizzly Federal 3-25-36-15h, McKenzie
19262, KOG, flaring, Charging Eagle 15-14-11-4H, Dunn
19263, KOG, flaring Charging Eagle 15-14-24-16H, Dunn
19264, KOG, flaring, Charging Eagle 1-22-10H, Dunn
19265, KOG, flaring, Charging Eagle 1-22-23H, Dunn 
19266, KOG, flaring, Charging Eagle 15-22-15-3H3, Dunn
19267, KOG, flaring, Charging Eagle 15-22-15-4H, Dunn
19268, KOG, flaring, Tall Bear 16-15-16H, Dunn
19269, Hess, pooling Antelope-Bakken, McKenzie
19270, Hess, Juniper-Bakken, 4 wells on two spacing units; McKenzie
19271, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19272, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19273, Hess, commingling, Williams
19274, Hess, commingling, Williams
19275, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19276, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19277, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19278, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19279, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19280, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19281, Hess, commingling, Williams
19282, Hess, commingling, Williams
19283, Hess, commingling, Williams
19284, Hess, commingling, Williams
19285, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19286, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19287, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19288, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19289, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19290, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19291, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19292, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19293, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19294, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19295, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19296, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19297, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19298, Hess, commingling, Williams
19299, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19300, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19301, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19302, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19303, Hess, commingling, Mountrail
19304, MRO, pooling, Lost Bridge-Bakken, Dunn
19305, OXY USA, pooling, Little Knife-Bakken, Dunn
19306, OXY USA, pooling, Little Knife-Bakken, Billings
19307, OXY USA, pooling, Little Knife-Bakken, Billings
19308, OXY USA, pooling, Little Knife-Bakken, Billings
19309, OXY USA, pooling, Little Knife-Bakken, Billings
19310, OXY USA, pooling, Crooked Creek-Bakken, Dunn
19311, OXY USA, pooling, Crooked Creek-Bakken, Dunn
19312, OXY USA, pooling, Saddle Butte-Bakken, Billings
19313, OXY USA, pooling, Murphy Creek-Bakken, Dunn
19314, OXY USA, pooling, Murphy Creek-Bakken, Dunn
19315, OXY USA, pooling, Murphy Creek-Bakken, Dunn
19316, OXY USA, pooling, Murphy Creek-Bakken, Dunn
19317, OXY USA, pooling, St Anthony-Bakken, Dunn
19318, SM Energy, pooling, Stark County

Thursday, December 20, 2012 (15 pages; cases 19319 - 19395)

19319, Denbury, proper spacing, Arnegard-Bakken, McKenzie
19320, Denbury, proper spacing, Sand Creek-Bakken, McKenzie
19321, XTO, amend, Sorkness-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Mountrail
19322, Denbury, proper spacing, Squaw Creek-Bakken, McKenzie
19323, Denbury, amend Murphy Creek-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Dunn
19324, Slawson, amend, Van Hook-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Dunn, McLean, Mountrail
19325, Slawson, amend Alger-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Mountrail
19326, Slawson, amend, Squaw Gap-Bakken, establish a 640-acre unit; 5 wells; McKenzie
19327, Slawson, amend, Parshall-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, McLean, Mountrail
19328, EOG, proper spacing, Noibe-Bakken, Burke
18841, cont'd
18842, cont'd
18843, cont'd
19329, WPX, amend, Reunion Bay-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Dunn, McKenzie, Mountrail
19330, WPX, amend, Eagle Nest-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Dunn, McKenzie
18497, cont'd
19331, Hunt, extend West Ambrose, Musta, and/or Smoky Butte-Bakken, establish 18 1280-acre units; one well each, Divide; 
19332, Hunt, amend, Bear Butte-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, McKenzie
19333, CLR, proper spacing, Battleview-Bakken, Williams, Burke
19334, CLR, proper spacing, Upland-Bakken, Divide
19335, CLR, amend, Todd-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, McKenzie, Williams
19336, CLR, amend, Oliver-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Williams
19337, CLR, amend, Alkali Creek-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, McKenzie, Mountrail, Williams
19338, CLR, recomplete Charlie Bob Creek 1-25H, #17602, open hole no higher than the Lodgepole, Ranch Coulee Field, McKenzie
19339, CLR, extend, Rosebud-Bakken, create a 640-acre unit; create a 1920-acre unit; one well each, McKenzie, Williams
18667, cont'd
18852, cont'd
18853, cont'd
18854, cont'd
18855, cont'd
18859, cont'd
18861, cont'd
18865, cont'd
18870, cont'd
18872, cont'd
18881, cont'd
18883, cont'd
18889, cont'd
18893, cont'd
18901, cont'd
18903, cont'd
18910, cont'd
19340, Zenergy, amend, Dore-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, McKenzie
19341, Samson Resources, proper spacing, Candak-Bakken, Divide
19342, Samson Resources, amend, Ellisville-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Williams
19343, BEXP, amend, Sugar Beet-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Williams
19344, BEXP, amend, East Fork-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Williams
19345, BEXP, amend, Elk-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, McKenzie
19346, Fidelity, amend Snaish-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, McKenzie, Mountrail
19347, Fidelity, amend, Dutch Henry Butte-Bakken, flaring, unrestricted production, Stark
19348, commission to review Order No. 17627, Glass Bluff-Madison, McKenzie, Williams
19086, cont'd
19349, CLR, risk penalty legalese
19350, CLR, pooling, Indian Hill-Bakken, McKenzie, Williams
19351, CLR, pooling, Ranch Coulee-Bakken, McKenzie
19352, CLR, pooling, Leaf Mountain-Bakken, Burke
19353, CLR, pooling, Stoneview-Bakken, Burke
19354, Baytex, risk penalty legalese, Williams
19355, Baytex, risk penalty legalese, Divide
19356, Baytex, Frazier-Bakken, 7 wells on each of 3 1280-acre units, Divide
19357, Baytex, Ambrose-Bakken, 7 wells on each of 10 1280-acre units; Divide
19358, Baytex, Whiteaker-Bakken, 7 wells on each of 11 1280-acre units, Divide
19359, Baytex, Blooming Prairie-Bakken, 7 wells on each of 3 1280-acre units, Divide
19360, Hunt, pooling, West Ambrose, Musta, and/or Smoky Butte-Bakken, Divide
19361, Hunt, pooling, West Ambrose, Musta, and/or Smoky Butte-Bakken, Divide
19362, EOG, pooling, Antelope-Sanish, McKenzie
19363, EOG, 6 wells on an existging 320-acre unit, Antelope-Sanish, McKenzie
19364, EOG, pooling, Parshall-Bakken, Mountrail
19365, EOG, pooling, Parshall-Bakken, Mountrail
19366, EOG, risk penalty legalese, Burke
19367, EOG, risk penalty legalese, Burke
19368, EOG, risk penalty legalese, Mountrail
19369, Slawson, 5 wells on each of 2 existing 1280-acre units, Squaw Gap-Bakken, McKenzie
19370, Slawson, 3 wells on each of 2 existing 640-acre units, Van Hook-Bakken, Mountrail
19371, Citation, risk penalty legalese, Bottineau
19372, XTO, risk penalty legalese, Williams
19373, XTO, 8 wells each on each of ~ 22 1280-acre units, Heart Butte-Bakken, Dunn
19374, XTO, 8 wells on each of 6 1280-acre units, Big Meadow-Bakken, Williams, 
19375, XTO, 8 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Briar Creek-Bakken, McKenzie, Williams
19128, cont'd, XTO, 8 wells on each of 19 1280-acre units, St Demetrius-Bakken, Billings, 
19376, Liberty Resources, 8 wells on each of 7 1280-acre units, East Fork-Bakken, Williams
19377, Liberty Resources, 8 wells on each of 6 1280-acre units, Tyrone-Bakken, Williams
19378, LIberty Resources, 8 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Cow Creek-Bakken, Williams
19379, Liberty Resources, 8 wells on each of 8 1280-acre uits, Glass Bluff-Bakken, McKenzie, Williams
19380, Liberty Resources, 8 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Eightmile-Bakken, McKenzie, Williams
19381, Liberty Resources, 8 wells on each of 2 1280-acre units, Grenora-Bakken, Williams
19382, Liberty Resources, 8 wells on each of 2 1280-acre units, Climax-Bakken, Williams
19383, Liberty Resources, 8 wells on each of 4 1280-acre units, Foreman Butte, Pronghorn, and/or Rawon-Bakken, McKenzie
19384, Liberty Resources, 8 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Pronghorn-Bakken, McKenzie
19385, Liberty Resources, 8 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Tood-Bakken, or Springbrook-Bakken, Williams
19386, Liberty Resources, 8 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Red Wing Creek-Bakken, McKenize
19387, Corinthian, production --> battery, Bottineau
19388, Corinthian, production --> battery, Bottineau
19389, Corinthian, production --> battery, Bottineau
19390, Triangle USA, 4 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Rawson-Bakken, McKenzie
19391, Triangle USA, 4 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Sandrocks-Bakken, McKenzie
19392, Zavanna, multiple wells on each of 9 1280-acre units, Foreman Butte-Bakken, McKenize
19393, Zavanna, multiple wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Boxcar Butte-Bakken, McKenzie
19394, Zenergy, SWD
19395, Williston Basin, SWD

American Women In Iraq

Rigzone: EPA Draft on Fracking Should Be Out Next Month

... released on a Friday after 5:00 p.m., no doubt.

Link here to Rigzone. com.

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

None dare call it default, WSJ.  The chickens come home to roost: entitlement reform. This will be fun.

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

From the WSJ, here comes the regulatory flood, opinion, November 24, 2012.

• ObamaCare: states and industries have less than a year to prepare to meet the new mandates; most interesting story to follow: ObamaCare's "exchanges"
• Financial Services: only 133 of the 398 rules of Dodd-Frank have been finalized
• Energy: throttled before the election, the EPA now has free rein
• Economic potpourri: boards, commissions, and agencies are teaming up to rewrite labor and workplace law; top on the list -- the new 29-hour work week

ObamaCare Exchanges:

• HHS has provided vague guidelines only; not the force of law; likely to be revoked
• HHS "is all but begging states to run the exchanges"
• HHS hasn't clarified what the states would be signing up to 
• the feds are best at enforcing regulations; states would be foolish to sign up for something that has not been defined
• my hunch: a bridge too far -- the mandate for "exchanges" will be delayed at least a year, probably more; the more conservative states will learn from the more progressive states; New York and California will be the states to watch; more on the exchanges at the WSJ;

EPA:

• in the lead-up to the election, the EPA stood down, but now has free rein
• coal is dead
• fracking regulations on federal lands are being promulgated by Interior; other rules can't be far behind; will probably use the pretext of drinking water under the Clean Water Act
• the sleeper issue -- National Enforcement Initiative Agenda; my hunch is some powerful senators will find ways to help their buds back home -- but it will cost

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

For Chester:

Quick: what's the "official name" for "Social Security," the act that provides you your SSN? That's what I thought.

Likewise, "ObamaCare" is not my word; I did not coin it; I wish I had: I would market t-shirts.

ObamaCare is used extensively through the opinion piece above and in all mainstream media; it is referred to as such at Wikipedia. For the analogy see Social Security at Wikipedia. As far as I know, no one receiving "social security" benefits refers to "social security"  using its "legal name."

My hunch is that the term "ObamaCare" will morph into something else and my granddaughters will refer to that new moniker when they are adults. But for now, I have no idea what that new name will be. Most likely something patterned after the UK's National Health Service.

And my granddaughters, when they call to make their federally-required annual physical, they will make their appointment through "The Exchange app" on the iPad pico, accessed through a heads-up display implanted in the left cornea.

The US National Health Service will rival the size of the DOD, and certainly be bigger than any other federal agency. It is very likely that "Health" will separate from HHS, becoming its own cabinet-level Department of Health. One could move DOD's Tricare and the medical arm of the VA system under the Department of Health. Until then: it's ObamaCare.

Likewise, the Department of Energy could be absorbed by the Environmental Protection Agency.  It would be known as the Department of Economic Suicide.

I Don't Want To Talk About It, Rod Stewart and Amy Belle