Thursday Evening News And Links -- Did We Just Kill The "Red Queen"? -- Zenergy's TF3 Well -- Four QEP Gushers -- "The Middle Bakken Is Good, But The Three Forks Is Better" -- Mike Filloon

Zenergy had a huge TF3 well.  When you read about the Omlid well, think about this, from the best writer on the Bakken, Michael Filloon, from SeekingAlpha earlier today (Bakken update: NE McKenzie County wells produce $33 million in under 18 months:

The middle Bakken is good, but the Three Forks is better. The Three Forks has greater thickness and depth than the middle Bakken. Northeast McKenzie County thickness ranges from 200 to 225 feet. It has up to four benches, two of which are consistent throughout the Bakken play. The third bench seems economic here, but there hasn't been enough de-risking to know for sure. The fourth bench is spottier than the third, and EOG commented a while back it thought the third and fourth could be fracced as one horizontal.

Lynn Helms said that a long, long time ago: the Three Forks might be better than the Bakken. The USGS estimates the Three Forks to be the same size as the Bakken. We all know how the USGS tends to underestimate; conservative; cautious.

Active rigs: 188 (steady, up one)

Non-Bakken: How many saw the article with this headline this morning: Bernanke costs Illinois $130 million -- this has to do with municipal bond ratings/interest/whatever. What a joke. The fact that Illinois has recently had its credit rating reduced is the big problem. The other big problem: Detroit will default and bondholders, who in the past have always been "guaranteed" their return, will take pennies on the dollar. Bernanke has little to do with Illinois' problems. The precedent was started with the GM bankruptcy. This comes from a review of Meredith Whitney's book which highlights the "central corridor" that includes North Dakota.

In North Dakota, there were ten (10) new oil and gas permits issued:

• Operators: Samson Oil and Gas (3), Samson Resources (3), Slawson (2), Murex, OXY USA
• Fields: Ambrose (Divide), Van Hook (Mountrail), Little Knife (Dunn)
• Comments: Murex has a wildcat in Divide County; interesting to see that Samson Resources and Samson Oil & Gas each had permits on the same day

Wells coming off the confidential list were posted earlier; see sidebar at the right.

Five (5) producing wells were completed:

• 24206, 2,342, QEP, MHA 8-04-33H-150-92, requested 640-acre spacing unit;  Heart Butte, t5/13; cum --
• 24208, 2,573, QEP, MHA 7-04-33h-150-92, requested 1280-acre spacing unit; Heart Butte, t5/13; cum --
• 24207, 2,641, QEP, MHA 6-04-33H-150-92, requested 640-acre spacing, Heart Butte, t5/13; cum --
• 24209, 2,854, QEP, MHA 5-04-33H-150-92, requested 1280-acre spacing, Heart Butte, t5/13; cum --
• 24108, 432, G3 Operating, G Larsen 1-14-23H, Strandahl, 

One permits was canceled:

• 25265, PNC, Hess, BW-Rolfson-151-98-2116H-2, 

Operator transfer of fourteen (14) older wells from Layline Petroleum, LLC to Wapiti Operating, LLC.

Wells coming off the confidential list Friday:

• 24180, drl, Statoil, East Fork 32-29 3H, no data, 
• 24467, 1,469, MRO, Point USA 9-1H, Wolf Bay, t2/13; cum 38K 4/13;
• 24510, 1,597, XTO, Mendenhall 12X-18H, t5/13; cum --

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 24467, see above, MRO, Point USA 9-1H, Wolf Bay:

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
4-2013	9352	0
3-2013	12427	0
2-2013	15253	0

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From CarpeDiem: crude oil production in the lower 48 US states hit a 27-y/o record; exceeds production last seen in May, 1986. Of the top 100 songs in 1986, only one worth mentioning, coming in at #27:

Take My Breath Away, Berlin