Saturday Morning News, Views, And Links -- Part III -- The Feds Will Help Eliminate Flaring

WSJ Links

Part II was getting too long.

Graphene: remember that word. This is a very, very strange, new material; it has ignited a patent "land rush." Steve Jobs would have loved it. And he would be moving quickly. How novel is graphene? The two researchers won a Nobel Price in 2010 for isolating it.

A substance 200 times stronger than steel yet as thin as an atom has ignited a global scientific gold rush, sending companies and universities racing to understand, patent and profit from the skinnier, more glamorous cousin of ordinary pencil lead.

The material is graphene, and to demonstrate its potential, Andrea Ferrari recently picked up a sheet of clear plastic, flexed it and then tapped invisible keys, triggering tinkly musical notes.

The keyboard made at Dr. Ferrari's University of Cambridge lab was printed with a circuit of graphene, which is so pliable that scientists predict it will fulfill dreams of flexible phones and electronic newspapers that can fold into a pocket.

It is the thinnest material known. But it is exceedingly strong, light and flexible. It is exceptional at conducting electricity and heat, and at absorbing and emitting light.
Scientists isolated graphene just a decade ago, but some companies are already building it into products: Head NV introduced a graphene-infused tennis racket this year. Apple Inc., Saab AB, and Lockheed Martin Corp. have recently sought or received patents to use graphene.

"Graphene is the same sort of material, like steel or plastic or silicon that can really change society," says Dr. Ferrari, who leads a band of about 40 graphene researchers at Cambridge.

The best part: graphene is an easily-remembered name that is non-threatening. 

I think I posted this story earlier, possibly from a different source. Regardless, I will say it again: for those who want flaring to stop in North Dakota, the news is good. The Feds are coming. They will help eliminate flaring.

The Bureau of Land Management, part of the Interior Department, on Friday finished taking public comments on its latest plan for oversight of fracking, the technique of injecting water and chemicals into shale formations to crack open pockets of natural gas and oil.

The new rules, which would apply only to federal and Indian lands, are meant to update decades-old regulations. They would require disclosures about chemicals used in fracking and set standards for wells and disposal of wastewater. The BLM said it didn't have a target date for finishing the rule. 

KOG and WPX have cause to worry. Whiting may also have concerns.

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment decisions based on what you read here or what you think you may have read here. By following share prices of affected oil companies, I get a better feeling for how analysts think about these new federal rules.