The Bakken Boom Will Never Be Repeated In California

Reuters through Rigzone is reporting:

Republican lawmakers said on Friday over regulation has prevented a shale oil boom in California and if eased, could boost production in the state and reduce its dependence on foreign energy.

With more than an estimated 15 billion barrels of oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, California's Monterey shale formation is twice as large as North Dakota's Bakken formation. That state has risen to become the second-largest U.S. oil producer in recent years, behind Texas.

California had the third-largest U.S. oil output in 2013, narrowly ahead of Alaska, but could produce far more if the state aggressively moved to develop its energy resources, lawmakers said at a House Natural Resources committee hearing. "The challenge now is not our ability to find it, it's the ability of government allowing us to be able to produce it in a sound way," said Republican Kevin McCarthy, who represents California's oil-producing Kern county. 

Actually, that's not true. The geology in California caused by tectonic plate shifts suggest that fracking won't be a slam dunk. 

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North Dakota ObamaCare Numbers

Approximately 55 to 60% of those who enroll in ObamaCare in North Dakota actually paid first-month premiums. 

Two comments: first, my hunch is that North Dakota has a higher rate of first-month premium payers than most other states; and, second, most insurers are going to exaggerate the numbers to prevent more disillusionment with the program.

So, there you have it. Maybe 50% of enrollees will pay their first-month premium. The good news: 100% of enrollees will get their pre-filled voter registration cards.