MRO Reports A "High-IP" Well; 3/5 Wells Go To DRL Status; Active Rigs Continue To Rise In Numbers Despite Frigid Temperatures; Coal Will Surpass Oil As World's Dominant Fuel By 2020; Spot Natural-Gas Prices Hit All-Time High On East Coast Due To Global Warming -- As Much As $90 Vs $14 "Usual" Average

Wells coming off the confidential list today:

• 23642, drl, Hess, SC-Mari-153-98-2223H-1, Truax, 
• 25016, 420, Baytex, Marcella 1-12-161-98H 2DM, Whiteaker, t7/13; cum 33K 11/13;
• 25329, 2,275, MRO, LBM Tuhy USA 41-4H, Murphy Creek, t9/13; cum 39K 11/13;
• 25632, drl, Samson Resources, Bel Air 2314-3H, Ambrose,
• 25811, drl, Slawson, Jugard (Federal) 2-26-35H, Big Bend,

Active rigs:

	1/7/2014	01/07/2013	01/07/2012	01/07/2011	01/07/2010
Active Rigs	189	180	200	163	77

SandRidge revises production guidance for 2014. SandRidge expects production to surge 26% in 2014 (that is revised upward from 12% guidance earlier). This comes on news that SandRidge will sell its GoM assets and concentrate on midcontinent operations. One more data point illustrating how productive the Bakken, Permian, Eagle Ford, Mississippi Lime, etc., are going to be, as infrastructure improves, manufacturing gets its stride.

The Wall Street Journal

New York spot natural-gas prices rise to record as cold approaches.

Natural-gas prices surged to all-time highs on the East Coast on Monday as frigid weather approached, raising the prospect of higher prices nationwide in coming weeks.

Natural gas for Tuesday delivery rose as high as $90 a million British thermal units at a pipeline delivery point in New Jersey where New York City gas prices are set. On Friday, gas there traded at an average of $14/mmBtu.  

Despite natural gas boom, coal is not dead.

Coal remains the biggest source of fuel for generating electricity in the U.S. and coal exports are growing fast.

Even as coal production plunges in the green hills of Appalachia, it is booming in the open-pit mines of Wyoming and under the plains of Illinois and Indiana. Overall, U.S. coal production is projected to remain relatively constant over the next three decades, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Demand is being stoked by the rise of power-hungry middle classes in emerging economies, led by China and India.

By the end of this decade, coal is expected to surpass oil as the world's dominant fuel source, according to a recent study by consultant Wood Mackenzie. Two-thirds of coal's growth will be driven by demand for electricity in China, the firm says.

Concern over the links between climate change and carbon emissions linked to coal could reduce consumption. Assuming weak economic growth and the strictest environmental rules, global coal demand could drop to 3.3 billion tons in 2035 from around five billion today, according to the International Energy Agency. But if politicians and regulators decide that the benefits of coal outweigh the environmental risks and craft looser regulations, coal demand could rise to six billion tons, the agency says.

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

JetBlue suspends flights to Boston, NYC, citing global warming:

Company said it suspended operations in New York and Boston late Monday, one of the biggest sets of cancellations this year and a sign of how badly winter weather has snarled air travel across the U.S. in recent days.

The discount carrier, based in New York, started reducing flights on Monday afternoon, leading to a full stop by 5 p.m. EST in the targeted cities. It said it plans to begin resuming service in the cities by 10 a.m. EST Tuesday, with all flights resumed by 3 p.m. EST. JetBlue operates as many as 240 departures and arrivals daily in Boston, and as many as 440 departures and arrivals a day at the New York City region's three major airpo

rts: John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International. The airline said the hiatus would allow for "17 hours of rest for our equipment and crew members and time to service aircraft." Amtrak, meanwhile, said the severe weather would force it to reduce the number of trips Tuesday on its rail routes between Boston and Washington, D.C., and between New York City and Albany, N.Y.

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

Egypt's largest wheat order since 2010 lifts prices.