The Bank With No ATM, Only One Branch -- November 17, 2014; Big Health, Big Government In Mutually Beneficial Relationship -- NYT

Fun fact:  All 50 US States will experience temps below freezing tonight somewhere within state lines! -- being reported by National Weather Service out of Wilmington, North Carolina.

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Original Post

The only state-owned bank in the US is in North Dakota.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting:

It is more profitable than Goldman Sachs Group Inc., has a better credit rating than J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and hasn’t seen profit growth drop since 2003.

Meet Bank of North Dakota, the U.S.’s lone state-owned bank, which has one branch, no automated teller machines and not a single investment banker.

The reason for its success?

As the sole repository of the state of North Dakota’s revenue, the bank has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the boom in Bakken shale-oil production from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

In fact, the bank played a crucial part in kick-starting the oil frenzy in the state in 2008 amid the financial crisis. When other banks around the U.S. were curtailing lending and increasing reserves, Bank of North Dakota helped smaller banks in the state ride out the crisis by providing them with letters of credit, loan sales and bank stock.

Since then, its total assets have more than doubled, to $6.9 billion last year from $2.8 billion in 2007. By contrast, assets of the much bigger Bank of America Corp. have grown much more slowly, to $2.1 trillion from $1.7 trillion in that period.

I am absolutely convinced "the Bakken" did not JUST happen. This is just one more example.

Much more at the link.

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They Built It: A Powerful, Mutually Beneficial Relationship -- Big Health, Big Government

The New York Times is reporting, we get what we vote for:

As Americans shop in the health insurance marketplace for a second year, President Obama is depending more than ever on the insurance companies that five years ago he accused of padding profits and canceling coverage for the sick.

Those same insurers have long viewed government as an unreliable business partner that imposed taxes, fees and countless regulations and had the power to cut payment rates and cap profit margins.

But since the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010, the relationship between the Obama administration and insurers has evolved into a powerful, mutually beneficial partnership that has been a boon to the nation’s largest private health plans and led to a profitable surge in their Medicaid enrollment.

The insurers in turn have provided crucial support to Mr. Obama in court battles over the health care law, including a case now before the Supreme Court challenging the federal subsidies paid to insurance companies on behalf of low- and moderate-income consumers. Last fall, a unit of one of the nation’s largest insurers, UnitedHealth Group, helped the administration repair the HealthCare.gov website after it crashed in the opening days of enrollment.

Again, this story never would have appeared BEFORE the mid-term election, but now it's time to move POTUS off the center stage of this three-ring circus.

On a side note, investors are going to do very, very well.

Ten (10) New Oil & Gas Permits -- North Dakota, November 17, 2014

Results of the wells coming off the confidential list over the weekend and Monday were reported and posted earlier; see sidebar at the right.

Active rigs:

	11/17/2014	11/17/2013	11/17/2012	11/17/2011	11/17/2010
Active Rigs	185	183	187	201	159

Wells coming off the confidential list Tuesday:

• 22363, drl, QEP, Kirkland 15E-23/14H, Grail, no production data,
• 27005, drl, Statoil, Brown 30-19 5TFH, Alger, no production data,
• 27815, drl, Hess, HA-Mogen-LE-152-95-0805H-1, Hawkeye, no production data,
• 28065, drl, Hess, En-State C-156-93-1615H-8, Alger, no production data,
• 28138, 118, CLR, Jefferson 6-17H1, Crazy Man Creek, t9/14; cum 2K 9/14;

Ten (10) new permits --

• Operators: XTO (4), Oasis (3), Enerplus, MRO, Whiting
• Fields: Bear Creek (Dunn), Tyrone (Williams), Spotted Horn (McKenzie), Black Slough (Burke), Murphy Creek (Dunn), South Heart (Stark) 
• Comments:

Four (4) producing wells completed:

• 26476, 1,394, CLR, Rochester Federal 6-24H, North Tobacco Garden, t10/14; cum --
• 26864, 184, XTO, Ruby State Federal 34X-36E, Grinnell, t9/14; cum 1K 9/14;
• 27761, 317, Oasis, White 5198 12-6 2T3, Siverston, t10/14; cum 3K 9/14;
• 27977, 1,790, Oasis, White 5198 13-6 14T, Siverston, t10/14; cum 3K 9/14;

Three producing wells abandoned, including:

• 16552, 53, Hess, Nelson 14-33H, Alkali Creek, the first of a possible 5 wells to be drilled in the Cazador Project by MRO; open hole frack with about 600K sand?, t8/07; cum 21K 9/14;
• 21695, 32, Flatirons Resources, Lunde 32-33, South Pleasant, a Madison well, t3/12; cum 5K 9/14;

No Evidence Of Ground Water Contamination In The North Dakota Oil Patch -- November 17, 2014

The Bismarck Tribune is reporting:

Random testing of shallow groundwater in the Northern Plains oil patch found no evidence of contamination from an energy boom that's already seen more than 8,500 wells drilled, federal scientists said Monday.

However, the U.S. Geological Survey cautioned that the tests could have missed contamination from surface spills or leaking well casings. That's because water can take many hundreds of years to migrate beneath the surface, meaning contamination might not have reached USGS sample sites.

"This is good news, really good news," said USGS hydrologist Rod Caldwell. "But we didn't try to sample a bunch of water all around oil and gas wells. We just tried to look at the overall health of the aquifer."

"Could have missed contamination....because water can take many hundreds of years to migrate beneath the surface...."

It should be noted that they've been drilling and producing oil in North Dakota since the 1950's and no evidence -- no evidence whatsoever of any groundwater contamination. From the very beginning North Dakota required a steel pipe to a level of 2,000 feet, and cement casing completely surrounding that steel pipe. Nowhere in the drilling area in North Dakota is ground water found below 2,000 feet, to the best of my knowledge. I feel pretty comfortable saying that because Don told me. Seriously, if there was groundwater deeper than 2,000, the state would require cement casing to go lower. 

What I find interesting is that it is my understanding that oil has been sprayed on gravel roads for decades to keep the dust down in North Dakota. Oil, I assume, was also used for weed control in ditches along the road. I assume there have been many, many oil spills over the years, and many were probably never reported during the early days. We still have the occasional well blow-out spewing oil over hundreds of acres. Pipeline spills. Rail tanker derailments. The list is endless.  Of course, I assume a lot of oil went directly into water sewers by folks changing their own oil. And yet, they find no -- absolutely no -- evidence of any groundwater contamination. I assume a lot of that oil is filtered out if it has to go through 1500 feet of earth before it gets to ground water. Again, just my opinion. No background in this area.

The Ethanol Legacy; What Goes Around, Comes Around; North Dakota To Help Solve The Global Warming Problem -- November 17, 2014

I posted this earlier as part of a multi-story post. I can see that it is getting more attention than I thought it would so I've moved it here for a stand-alone post.

For background, it is important to read this over at bigpictureagriculture: 

The amount of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), at 27.1 million acres, is down by 26 percent, or 9.7 million acres in the past five years, to a 25 year low. [It puts the Chevrolet story below into perspective: GM is "buying" 6,000 acres for CRP.]

During this same time period, corn acreage has increased by 13 million acres.

Farmers are once again planting crops on marginal lands “fencerow to fencerow” to cash in on today’s high commodity prices. CRP payments haven’t risen to compete with crop returns, and the program itself is being whittled away by Congress. 

Again, the amount of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), at 27.1 million acres, is down by 26 percent, or 9.7 million acres in the past five years, since the ethanol mandate, to a 25 year low.

North Dakota To Help Solve The Global Warming Problem

Update: what goes around, comes around. A writer suggests that a lot of this newly plowed farmland in North Dakota was grassland for ranchers until the government provided incentives to turn the farmland into ethanol-producing grain. And, thus another reason why I love to blog.

Original Post

ABC News is reporting:

Chevrolet has become the first corporate participant in a public-private initiative that pays farmers NOT to convert natural prairie to large-scale crop production, which would release gases that are warming the planet.

The automaker, a division of General Motors, said it has bought more than 39,000 metric tons of carbon credits from North Dakota ranchers in the prairie pothole region, a broad expanse of grasslands and wetlands reaching across the northern Great Plains and parts of Canada.

"The amount of carbon dioxide removed from our atmosphere by Chevrolet's purchase of carbon credits equals the amount that would be reduced by taking 5,000 cars off the road," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

Grasslands store huge volumes of carbon dioxide, one of the gases most responsible for climate change. Tilling the soil for agriculture releases the gases into the atmosphere. Preserving grasslands keeps carbon bottled up and preserves habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.

Near the end of the article:

Participating ranchers place their property in conservation easements that guarantee it will permanently remain grassland, although they can continue grazing livestock and growing hay, which can be planted without tilling the soil.

Chevrolet purchased its credits as part of a 2010 commitment to invest up to $40 million in carbon reduction programs with a goal of keeping 8 million metric tons out of the atmosphere, spokeswoman Sharon Basel said.

The credits Chevy bought in North Dakota will preserve 5,000 to 6,000 acres of grasslands.

I would suggest that oil-millionaire-farmers in western North Dakota quit farming completely, turning their farmland back into natural plains. It's a win-win for everyone.

The farmers no longer complain about the roads, the dust, the oil companies. Oil companies could also buy carbon credits to offset their other sins. Even wind farms could co-exist with the natural plains. And eventually back to the buffalo commons interrupted with a few pumpers.

Readers may be able to help me on this, but I don't think this changes the reality of what has always occurred on the range, where the buffalo roam, and the antelope play all day. Instead of the US government (i.e, the US taxpayer) paying the ranchers not to farm land they wouldn't farm anyway (cattle are now selling for some of the highest prices on record, and ranchers -- by definition -- ranch, and don't farm), a private corporation is paying the ranchers not to farm land they wouldn't farm anyway.

One error in the above, I suppose. I suggested that GM was a private corporation. I believe the "GM" stands for "government motors."

Additional comments: when I first heard of Drs Deborah E and Frank J Popper, my knee-jerk reaction was to resist their proposal. What has happened over the past five years, particularly the ethanol mandate, makes me think the Poppers were more correct than I gave them credit for.

Spearfish, South Dakota, The Scenic Black Hills Becoming Home Of Choice For Bakken Oil Workers -- November 17, 2014

SPEARFISH, S.D. —

Ryan Lambert wants to reap the benefits of the booming Bakken oil region of western North Dakota — but he doesn’t want to live there.

“Do my time and get out, that’s about how I play it,” Lambert said, standing in the kitchen of his Spearfish home on one of his two-week breaks last month.

Lambert is one of a growing number of oil-field workers who make their living in the Bakken but live in the scenic Black Hills, one of the closest population centers to the oil patch that’s benefiting — directly and indirectly — from the highly lucrative boom.

Real estate agents say there’s a housing shortage in the region as workers and retirees buy up homes. Local officials say commercial and residential projects are on the rise. And businesses looking to cater to oil-patch companies are setting up shop in Spearfish and Belle Fourche, hoping to get the business without the headaches.

“You hate to … make your star brighter by making the other guy’s black, but in some sense, the disadvantages of the boom there have (contributed) to the opportunities down here,” said Doug Cole, who started Black Hills Fiberglass more than two years ago in Belle Fourche.

Cole, a retired legislator and construction worker, said it was a smart business decision to base his company that makes 400-gallon fiberglass oil and water tanks out of the Black Hills, which is about 300 miles from key oil cities in the region, namely Williston.

Monday Notes -- November 17, 2014; Solar Energy Failing -- Not Even Able To Produce Electricity For A Measly 8 Hours/Day In Sunny Southern California -- CLOUDS; North Dakota Farmers To Cash In On Global Warming

Solar Energy, An Inconvenient Truth -- Clouds

I can't make this stuff up. Readers predicted this ever since I started blogging about solar energy on this blog.


The AP is reporting:

The largest solar power plant of its type in the world — once promoted as a turning point in green energy — isn't producing as much energy as planned.

One of the reasons is as basic as it gets: The sun isn't shining as much as expected [because of clouds].

Sprawling across roughly 5 square miles of federal desert near the California-Nevada border, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System opened in February, with operators saying it would produce enough electricity to power a city of 140,000 homes. So far, however, the plant is producing about half of its expected annual output for 2014, according to calculations by the California Energy Commission.

It had been projected to produce its full capacity for 8 hours a day, on average.

Two comments. First, the "cloud excuse" is bogus -- there's been no rain in this area for a decade -- there's been a decade-long drought. No rain, no clouds. What the article does not mention: the numbers were gruberized. I can't make this stuff up.

Second: I doubt the number crunchers noted this for the first time in the last 72 hours, that this solar farm is a failure. But now that the mid-term elections are over, and it's time for mainstream media to move POTUS off center stage of this three-ring circus, the AP feels it is time to publish the story.

Also, same story from KCET:Solar Plant Apparently Running at Half Capacity.

More than a year after the formal launch of the nation's largest existing solar tower power plant, its operators seem to be having trouble keeping it all the way online. According to records provided by California's grid operator, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is running at around half its capacity so far in 2015. (I believe they mean half its "stated nameplate" capacity).

The information comes in the form of reports generated by the California Independent System Operator (CaISO), the independent agency that manages most of the state's power grid, as a daily snapshot of which of the state's more than 1,000 power plants are offline, or in CaISO's terminology, "curtailed."

According to those records, each of Ivanpah's three units has been curtailed for between 26 and 29 days so far this year, with the entire plant shut down for ten days. The outages have limited the plant's potential contribution to the state's power grid to half of the plant's rated capacity, and that's assuming that the units worked at maximum capacity when they were up and running.

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The Thumbnail Says It All When Installing Solar Energy

Te Deum, Arvo Pärt

For Investors Only

This is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or what you think you may have read here. Make no travel plans based on what you read here. I post quickly and frequently; typographical and factual errors are likely. If this information is important to you, go to the source.

This is quite a pleasant surprise. The country with the world's 3rd largest economy unexpectedly falls back into recession and the US stock opens lower, but now is in the green. I'm starting to lose count, but if the market finishes in the green, this is about the seventh day in eight days that the market has moved to new highs.

I'm sure some talking head will note the string of new highs.

Hopefully.

So, what's BHI doing? At $66, well short of what HAL is offering -- $78/share, including almost $20 in cash for every share of BHI held by an investor. Of course, that will be taxable. It's been my impression that when an announcement

Trading at new highs today, for those companies that interest me for some reason: AAPL, Aetna, EW, ETP, Wal-Mart.

UNP, hardly changed, slightly down.

SRE, after a few "down" days, is now up today, a little bit more than 1%.

AAPL: flat, slightly negative.

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North Dakota To Help Solve The Global Warming Problem

Update: what goes around, comes around. A writer suggests that a lot of this newly plowed farmland in North Dakota was grassland for ranchers until the government provided incentives to turn the farmland into ethanol-producing grain. And, thus another reason why I love to blog.

Original Post

ABC News is reporting:

Chevrolet has become the first corporate participant in a public-private initiative that pays farmers NOT to convert natural prairie to large-scale crop production, which would release gases that are warming the planet.

The automaker, a division of General Motors, said it has bought more than 39,000 metric tons of carbon credits from North Dakota ranchers in the prairie pothole region, a broad expanse of grasslands and wetlands reaching across the northern Great Plains and parts of Canada.

"The amount of carbon dioxide removed from our atmosphere by Chevrolet's purchase of carbon credits equals the amount that would be reduced by taking 5,000 cars off the road," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

Grasslands store huge volumes of carbon dioxide, one of the gases most responsible for climate change. Tilling the soil for agriculture releases the gases into the atmosphere. Preserving grasslands keeps carbon bottled up and preserves habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.

Near the end of the article:

Participating ranchers place their property in conservation easements that guarantee it will permanently remain grassland, although they can continue grazing livestock and growing hay, which can be planted without tilling the soil.

Chevrolet purchased its credits as part of a 2010 commitment to invest up to $40 million in carbon reduction programs with a goal of keeping 8 million metric tons out of the atmosphere, spokeswoman Sharon Basel said.

The credits Chevy bought in North Dakota will preserve 5,000 to 6,000 acres of grasslands.

I would suggest that oil-millionaire-farmers in western North Dakota quit farming completely, turning their farmland back into natural plains. It's a win-win for everyone. The farmers no longer complain about the roads, the dust, the oil companies. Oil companies could also buy carbon credits to offset their other sins.  Even wind farms could co-exist with the natural plains. And eventually back to the buffalo commons interrupted with a few pumpers.

Readers may be able to help me on this, but I don't think this changes the reality of what has always occurred on the range, where the buffalo roam, and the antelope play all day. Instead of the US government (i.e, the US taxpayer) paying the ranchers not to farm land they wouldn't farm anyway (cattle are now selling for some of the highest prices on record, and ranchers -- by definition -- ranch, and don't farm), a private corporation is paying the ranchers not to farm land they wouldn't farm anyway. 

One error in the above, I suppose. I suggested that GM was a private corporation. I believe the "GM" stands for "government motors."


*******************  Kent State, All Over Again   

Ferguson. Missouri. Governor. Executive order. State of Emergency. 30 days. Organized Militia. Unified Command. Memo to self: source Christiana Amanpour's itinerary. Story here.

Musings On Today's Wells That Come Off The Confidential List -- November 17, 2014

IPs for the wells coming off the confidential list over the weekend and today have been posted. They will eventually be linked at the sidebar at the right.

Thirty (30) wells are reported. Of these, 16 wells are still waiting to be fracked (14 to DRL status; 2 with n/d or still on confidential status). In the last Director's Cut, I believe Lynn Helms said fracking crews were keeping up with drilling with the wells waiting to be fracked at 610, which I believe is about 10 more than the previous month. But don't hold me to that. I haven't checked.

There are a number of reasons for wells waiting to be fracked. In the old days (three or four years ago?), the fracking spreads could not keep up with drillers. That, apparently, has been resolved. I think the biggest reason for delay in fracking is now operational, related to pad drilling. Recently, there is a suggestion that fracking may be delayed as operators focus on the new flaring rules. An early winter, I would assume, stopped fracking in its tracks. It's hard enough to frack in "cold" weather; it's impossible to frack in "frigid" weather.

And now with the slump in oil prices, I wouldn't be surprised if there are even more delays in fracking.

And that's why I'm really looking forward to the February, 2015, Director's Cut. It's possible we will see a new production record in October, 2014, but I will be very surprised (but elated) if e see a new production record in November, 2014 (which won't be reported until February).

As in previous daily activity reports when Oasis reports a number of wells, many of them go to DRL status, again, mostly for operational reasons, I assume.

This is an interesting well to look at:

• 26217, 424, EOG, Wayzetta 42-0311H, Parshall, t5/14; cum 119K 9/14; 

• Note the IP: fairly low for an EOG well, or if not, fairly unremarkable for the production data
• Stages: 45
• Proppant: an incredible 14 million lbs, all sand it appears
• Proposed spacing: 1920 acres (currently ICO)
• Target: middle Bakken
• Big rig spud date: February 5, 2014; Cease drilling: February 20, 2014
• Total depth: 19,000 feet (rounding)
• Vertical depth: 9,500 feet (rounding)
• Low pressure: background gas units around 200 units with a high of around 300 units

Most notable (see if you can find it in the production data below -- answer at bottom):

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	9-2014	30	32477	32644	35761	14312	210	13923
BAKKEN	8-2014	30	37638	38208	43618	17658	3977	13540
BAKKEN	7-2014	29	29509	28709	33533	16994	2454	14409
BAKKEN	6-2014	24	15523	15425	18494	5259	415	4731
BAKKEN	5-2014	6	4075	3668	8547	440	0	410

Yes, pretty obvious: it looks like the well is hooked up to a natural gas pipeline but the system is apparently unable to handle the new natural gas production. 

Note: in a long note, I often make typographical and factual errors. If this information is important to you go to the source. Much of the above is my personal opinion; that at $1.89 will get you a cup of Starbucks coffee. I have no background, training, or education in the oil and gas industry, so many of these opinions will be very, very wrong, I assume. But I learn as I go along. I am always grateful for corrections and/or background.


I don't think there is much more to say about the wells coming off the confidential list over the weekend and today, except this: more and more wells have familiar names, suggesting operators are concentrating on sweet spots, pad drilling, and "circling the wagons."

Monday -- Day 6 Of The 2014 Autumn Polar Vortex -- November 17, 2014

Halliburton to buy Baker Hughes. Story here. Forbes says it will only prolong the pain for the oil and gas fracking industry. 

Active rigs:

	11/17/2014	11/17/2013	11/17/2012	11/17/2011	11/17/2010
Active Rigs	186	183	187	201	159

RBN Energy: Eagle Ford condensate and takeaway, 9th in a series.

Pressure building on OPEC to act. Story at Yahoo!Finance here. According to the article, "The net-long position in West Texas Intermediate rose 8.7 percent in the week ended Nov. 11, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data show. Long holdings rebounded from the lowest level in 17 months while short bets contracted." CNBC is also reporting that OPEC "cracks are widening." Unless the cracks are within Saudi, they (the cracks) don't matter.

Germany says it will not lift its ban on fracking despite report in Der Spiegel suggesting otherwise. Interestingly enough, Germany, in fact, does plan to allow fracking and has allowed fracking. See story.

This may be the real thing: a blood sample test to predict Alzheimer's ten (10) years before onset. Story here.

The 2014 autumn polar vortex: the headlines started appearing November 11, 2014:

• Minnesota shatters snow record from 1898 -- predicted by warmists -- global warming will result in more snow 
• Arctic blasts pummels USA -- unexplained; stuff happens 
• Only six (6) states not expecting snow in coming week (and one of them may be Hawaii) 
• Winter still a month away 
• Twelve (12) years since Dallas has had two consecutive days so cold  
• Wyoming wind chill warning: 35 below  
• Central Ontario snowfall could reach 20 inches  
• Cold to freeze East  
• Shattering snowfall records in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan -- predicted by warmists -- global warming will result in more snow 
• All 50 states brace for freezing temperatures -- November 13, 2014 
• Cold freeze moves east -- November 13, 2014 
• Denver cold shatters two records, including low temp record set in 1882 -- November 13, 2014 
• Coldest November in decades -- November 14, 2014 
• Michigan town receives one month's snow -- in one day --November 14, 2014 
• Storm dumps four (4) feet of snow on Wisconsin town -- November 14, 2014 
• Ice on Lake Superior -- almost a month early -- November 16, 2014 
• Harsh cold to set records in south, freeze northeast -- November 16, 2014
• Snow on the ground in DFW area; 27 degrees -- November 17, 2014 
• 50% of nation covered in snow -- November 17, 2014 (this was on ABC Nightly News, also)
• Most snow this early in a decade -- November 17, 2014
• Four (4) feet of snow expected in upstate New York -- November 17, 2014
• Record cold in Boise, Idaha, Monday morning, possibly again Tuesday -- November 17, 2014

Natural gas is back up over $4.00. Earlier stories suggested producers in the East (Marcellus/Utica) could make money on $2-natural gas.

I wish I had said it, but this comes from ClimateDepot: 

U.S.-China deal? ‘A lame duck President, who just suffered a major defeat in the midterm elections has managed the ‘feat’ of getting the Chinese to shake his hand and solemnly promise to keep doing what they are doing for another 16 years’

Dark Winter suggests we are headed into a 30-year cooling spell which will be much more devastating than anything the warmists have associated with global warming. 

Flashback: two counties in North Dakota (McKenzie and Mountrail) produce more oil than California, Alaska. 

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Trainwreck

I knew it was bad. I did not know it was this bad. Only 37% approve of the non-Affordable Care Act.  Remember: very little of the non-Affordable Care Act has actually kicked in. Most of the the act's provisions were delayed or deferred by executive order until 2015 or 2016. The tax on medical devices is in place. About 4 million people may have signed up for the on-line exchange health care policies in the first year and the numbers expected to sign up for the second year are well below expectations. Premiums are expected to go up 20% in Texas if folks want to keep their current plans. One can look around for better bargains, "they" say.

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Ebola

The 3rd Ebola patient to be treated at Nebraska Medical Center has died according to NBC News. Dr Martin Salia was a legal permanent resident of the United States; he was working in Ebolaland when he died. He was the second person in the US to have died from Ebola. Fortunately it is very, very difficult to catch Ebola; that's why healthcare workers wear hazmat suits when coming in contact with patients suspected of having Ebola.

Halliburton To Buy Baker Hughes? Deal Back On? -- November 17, 2014

Apparently so:

Story here, for $35 billion. $78.62/share.

For comparison, Warren Buffett bought BNSF for $44 billion (wiki).

This is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or what you think you may have read here. Make no travel plans based on what you read here. I post quickly and frequently; typographical and factual errors are likely. If this information is important to you, go to the source.