Out And About For The Day -- Good Luck To All -- October 10, 2017

Source: http://www.visualcapitalist.com/u-s-interstate-highways-transit-map/.

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The Energy And Market Page

Xcel split? Xcel Energy may split subsidiary for Minnesota, North Dakota.

Xcel Energy has proposed splitting its utility operations in North Dakota and Minnesota, telling regulators that widening policy differences between the two states over clean energy have caused stresses that might best be resolved through a breakup.

But a consultant for the North Dakota Public Service Commission is arguing against the separation, saying there would be "no long-term benefits" for North Dakota, only a "substantial likelihood" of higher costs for customers. [Which customers?]

Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy has long had a single subsidiary for its electrical and gas businesses in the two states, Northern States Power Company-Minnesota. Xcel says it's been a successful arrangement for nearly a century, but the policy priorities of the two states began to diverge almost two decades ago, and the best alternative may be a North Dakota subsidiary that wouldn't be subject to regulatory decisions by other states.
Xcel serves around 93,000 electric and 24,000 gas customers in the Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot areas of North Dakota, making it the largest utility in the state. But Xcel says its North Dakota customers consume only about 5 percent of the total load on its upper Midwest system, compared with 75 percent for Minnesota, 15 percent for Wisconsin, with South Dakota and Michigan making up the rest. Altogether, the five-state system serves over 1.6 million customers.

In response to Minnesota's push for cleaner energy, Xcel is phasing out two older coal-fired generators at its big Sherco power plant in Minnesota and has been investing heavily in wind, solar and biomass power. But that shift away from carbon fuels toward renewables comes with costs that Xcel has sought to pass along to customers, leading to pushback from regulators in North Dakota, a major oil, gas and coal producer.

The market. Wow, this market won't quit. All four major indices are up, which I assume means new records are being set. And WTI is up almost 3% on "talk."

NYSE: 191 issues setting new highs, including BP; CAT; CVX (whoo-hoo!); D. R. Horton; KB Home; Oasis Midstream Partners; Wal-Mart;

• new lows: 15

Phillips 66: announces share repurchase program worth $3 billion.

OPEC begs US shale producers to cut production. Yes, that was the headline, "begs." The article actually said OPEC "called on" US shale producers to help OPEC; not sure if the word "begs/begs" was in the story. We talked about this before. Not sure if OPEC understands how "free markets" work. Scary to think Saudi Arabia will IPO an oil company if that's how they think free markets work.

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The Bakken

Active rigs:

$50.94↑↑	10/10/2017	10/10/2016	10/10/2015	10/10/2014	10/10/2013
Active Rigs	57	32	68	190	185

Four new permits:

• Operators: EOG (3); Petro-Hunt
• Fields: Stanley (Mountrail); Charlson (McKenzie)
  Comments: Petro-Hunt has a permit for a Van Hise Trust well in SWSW 28-153-95, Charlson oil 
• field

One producing well (DUC) reported as completed:

• 30285, 1,200, XTO, Stenehjem 31X-28D, Siverston, t8/17; cum 9K in first 19 days;

Fifteen permits renewed:

• Newfield (6): three Sturgeon permits; three Schneiderman permits; all in McKenzie County
• Enduro Operating (4):four NSCU permits in Bottineau County
• Petro-Hunt (3): three Clark Griswold Federal permits in McKenzie County
• Hunt (2): two Halliday permits in Dunn County

Three permits canceled:

• Petro-Hunt: three Mortimer Duke permits in McKenzie County 

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Lake Bowman, Glacier National Park