Closer And Closer To Energy Independence -- Rigzone

Active rigs:

	3/13/2014	03/13/2013	03/13/2012	03/13/2011	03/13/2010
Active Rigs	193	186	203	173	104

RBN Energy: waterborne LPGs.

US waterborne exports of propane, normal butane and isobutane - known collectively as liquefied petroleum gases or LPGs - are growing rapidly - up from 148 Mb/d in 2011 to 331 Mb/d in 2013. RBN expect these volumes to continue growing from 466 Mb/d this year to 825 Mb/d in 2018 as LPG production from gas plant processing increases more rapidly than domestic demand. The two largest export terminals operated by Enterprise and Targa will add 400 Mb/d of capacity between 2013 and 2018 and as many as 8 more terminals could be built.

Rigzone is reporting:

Production from the Eagle Ford unconventional oil play in South Texas is expected to keep growing through 2014 and to break the 1.5 million barrel per day (bpd) mark in 2015, an analyst told attendees at the Platts’ North America Crude Conference in Houston Feb. 27-28.

Between now and the end of 2018, 4.4 million barrels of crude are expected to be produced in North America, said Suzanne Minter, manager of crude and natural gas analysis with Bentek Energy. In 2013, 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude production was grown; crude production this year will exceed that number, Minter noted.

While infrastructure projects will bring this crude production to market, little has been done to grow incremental demand in the North America Lower 48 market, Minter noted. For this reason, the light crude market should be pretty aggressive and competitive in the near-term; by year end, Bentek believes that North America crude production will have pushed out all light sweet waterborne imports, Minter said.

Last year was phenomenal in terms of oil production. In 2012, North America crude production grew 10 percent year over year; in 2013, it grew 17 percent year over year to 1.4 million bpd. This growth comes on the heels of decades of consistent but gradual decline, Minter said. North America crude production has experienced a “strong, quick” reversal to the steady, gradual decline previously seen in oil production.

The Wall Street Journal

It looks like the hijackers flew the plane for about four hours after they turned off the transponders.

The US launched a last ditch effort to avert a diplomatic circus with Moscow vis a vis the Crimean.

 Florida GOP win highlights ObamaCare.

Wow, wow, wow. Haven't I been saying this all along: HHS Secretary Sebelius says health insurance premiums for 2015 are "likely to go up." Not enough folks signed up; the wrong folks signed up; majority of enrollees won't pay premiums through end of this year; no caps on medical expenses; children up to 26 years of age kept on family policies.

Business groups "size up" Obama's overtime plan: to pay overtime for folks working longer than the "official US work week" which used to be 40 hours; with ObamaCare it is 30 hours. 

Israel may strip orthodox Jews of their military exemption. Say what?

EU decides it can do without more Russian gas; it puts the brakes on Russia natural gas pipelines. Yeah, that was easy.

Government Motor says ignition problem that resulted in the deaths of at least 13 people dates back to 2001. Sounds like the blame belongs to George Bush.

Oil futures fall as supplies continue to climb. President Obama silently made decision to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

 The Los Angeles Times

Yes! Phil Jackson heads back to New York City (where he belongs!). Phil Jackson, Williston native, will be head of operations for the Knicks.

Dumbing-down of the SAT presents colleges with tough question. Students no longer need to show an ability to write; simply an ability to take selfies and text.

Kobe Bryant out for the rest of the year for the Lakers. End of career. Will Tiger and Kobe both call it quits the same year?