Number Of Active Rigs In North Dakota Surges; Up Three On Coldest Day Of Current Cold Spell; Up Six In Past Week; Exceeds Number Of Rigs One Year Ago

But before we get to "active rigs in North Dakota," let's look at the number of active gray whales along the California coast.

Active gray whales along California coast: 364 (vs 182 same period one year ago). The Los Angeles Times is reporting:

More than 20,000 gray whales migrate each year from Arctic waters in the north to the shallow lagoons and bays of Baja California. Volunteers for the census project work around the clock from Dec. 1 through May 15, looking for whales from the vantage point at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center.

Hunted to near extinction in the early 1900s, the whales were declared endangered in 1973 but were taken off the list in 1994 after the population boomed.

The number of gray whales spotted migrating south off the Southern California coast in December was double what it was compared with the same period last year, raising questions about whether it reflects changing migration patterns or perhaps a population boom for the once endangered species.

From their perch high above the water at Point Vicente in Rancho Palos Verdes, whale spotters in December counted 364 gray whales heading south to Baja California. Volunteers counted 182 during the same period in 2012.

The record count is far higher than in 2010, when observers saw just 38 gray whales in December. The difference is prompting researchers to ask whether a migration shift is underway or if there is some other explanation.

Point Vicente is just down the coast from where I stay when visiting southern California -- about four miles.

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

Remember that post yesterday in which the Frankfurt, Germany, analysts said:

"It is so cold that they cannot produce at full capacity, if at all. That should support prices," said Carsten Fritsch, senior oil analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

The Dickinson Press says: "51 below doesn't hinder western North Dakota much."

At worse, it seems some operators had to delay fracking operations one or two weeks. A bit of the Samson Oil & Gas weekly update:   

Samson Oil & Gas provides its weekly operational update: Co provides and update on its North Stockyard project, North Dakota

Blackdog 3-13-14H (SSN WI 25.03%)
Frac operations in the Blackdog well are expected to take place following fracture stimulation of the Little Creature 3-15-14HBK well. Due to harsh weather conditions and subzero temperatures, the fracture operations have been delayed. Fracture stimulation is now expected to take place within the next two weeks.

Coopers 2-15-14HBK (SSN WI 27.7%) and Tooheys 4-15-14HBK (SSN WI 27.7%)
Fracture stimulation operations on the Coopers and Tooheys wells were completed, and both of the wells are currently shut-in. Flow-back operations on these wells will commence following fracture stimulation on the Little Creature well.

Little Creature 3-15-14HBK (SSN WI 27.7%),
The 35 stage cemented liner fracture stimulation was delayed on the Little Creature well over the weekend due to subzero temperatures in North Dakota. Currently 11 stages of the fracture stimulation have been completed. Operations are expected to resume this week, weather permitting.

***************************************** For investors only. 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.
 
PSX is trading at another high. If you go to Yahoo!Financial to PSX you will see a lot of headlines regarding PSX and Warren Buffett. Also an interesting note about batteries used by Tesla and PSX.

The majors are holding their own very, very nicely. I only looked at CVX.

SandRidge is reporting some interesting news. That will be posted elsewhere, later.

SRE is moving nicely, as is Hess.

Wow, there is so much energy news, one cannot keep up. Did you all see the Motley Fool article on Enbridge's application for a $6.5 billion pipeline? I will post that later, also, if I remember. 

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

I did not post a comment from a reader yesterday who reminded me, with regard to global warming, that "science is complicated."  That's one of the reasons I've never taken Algore seriously. But now we have the science behind global warming explained to us. Because science is complicated, Al Sharpton has donned a white lab coat to explain global warming. I cannot make this stuff up. The timing is absolutely perfect.

By the way, an MIT professor takes on global warming:

Lindzen is no shrinking violet. A pioneering climate scientist with decades at Harvard and MIT, Lindzen sees his discipline as being deeply compromised by political pressure, data fudging, out-and-out guesswork, and wholly unwarranted alarmism. In a shot across the bow of what many insist is indisputable scientific truth, Lindzen characterizes global warming as “small and .  .  . nothing to be alarmed about.” In the climate debate—on which hinge far-reaching questions of public policy—them’s fightin’ words.

In his mid-seventies, married with two sons, and now emeritus at MIT, Lindzen spends between four and six months a year at his second home in Paris. But that doesn’t mean he’s no longer in the thick of the climate controversy; he writes, gives myriad talks, participates in debates, and occasionally testifies before Congress. In an eventful life, Lindzen has made the strange journey from being a pioneer in his field and eventual IPCC coauthor to an outlier in the discipline—if not an outcast.

Some say science is complicated. I know forecasting is very, very difficult. I'm not even sure if we know what next month's weather will bring. Okay, the editors of The Farmer's Almanac do.

By the way, Breitbert is reporting that climate change groups seek new leadership as green movement loses momentum. I'm thinking, maybe, Al Sharpton. LOL.

"We need Al Sharpton as our leader," said no one. Ever.

Other global warming news and headlines ripped from DrudgeReport and elsewhere:

• Chicago smashes low temp records
• NYC breaks 118-year-low
• average temp in US hit 14.4 degrees yesterday
• "coldest air in 20 years"
• hundreds stranded overnight on snowbound AMTRAK trains
• power demand soars; Texas grid pushed to edge; Tuesday to be "the day"

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

By the way, the frigid temperature story could not have come at a better time for the Obama administration. The cold weather story completely knocked ObamaCare off the front pages (and the entire newspaper, for that matter) -- just when ObamaCare is fully implemented. Except for the corporate mandate (which was delayed a full year, into 2015). And except for the individual mandate for anyone who can claim hardship. Like everyone.

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

And then look at this, active rigs in North Dakota rose by three on one of the coldest days of the year:

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

And look at the number: surges past the number of active rigs one year ago, and practically where "we" were two years ago during the height of the boom.