Twelve (12) New Permits -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA

Active rigs: 183

Twelve (12) new permits --

• Operators: EOG (4), Halcon (3), Whiting (2), Emerald (2), Petro-Hunt
• Fields: Juniper (McKenzie), Climax (Williams), Marmon (Williams), Parshall (Mountrail), Charlson (McKenzie), Sanish (Mountrail), Boxcar Butte (McKenzie)
• Comments: an odd assortment of locations

Wells coming off the confidential list were posted earlier; see sidebar at the right.

Three (3) producing wells were completed:

• 23049, 334, CLR, Chicago 4-26RH, Banks, t5/13; cum 26K 6/13; Three Forks, I believe
• 24042, 730, SM Energy, Didrick 4-27HB, Siverston, t7/13; cum 8K 6/13;
• 25217, 1,949, Whiting, Hansen 21-20H, Sanish, t7/13; cum -- 

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Another incredible song:

That Don't Make It Junk, Leonard Cohen
But this one is downright Dylanesque:

I Tried To Leave You, Leonard Cohen

From wiki: In concert, a prolonged "I Tried to Leave You" was sometimes used to introduce the band. The 14-minute rendition from the 1985 Montreux Jazz Festival even featured extra lines given to the backup singers.

I guess I'm in a Cohen-state-of-mind tonight.

Yes, Ernie, There Is A War On Coal -- Talk To Your Boss

Bloomberg is reporting:

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz told reporters earlier this month that "there is no war on coal."

Read it as you like — as a true statement, or as exactly what you'd expect someone to say who's waging a war on coal. Either way, political warfare is preceding literal explosions, as utilities count demolition and redevelopment as options in a future projected to have reduced reliance on coal, the carbon-based fuel most dangerous to the climate.

Coal-fired power plants, particularly in the United States, are struggling to stave off two major offensives, from markets and governments. Abundant, inexpensive natural gas has made coal-burning less efficient. Government regulation — including U.S. limits on mercury pollution and potential rules on carbon dioxide pollution — can increase operating costs. "To me, that's kind of a vise that's gripping the utility industry on two sides," said Richard Martin, editorial director of Navigant Research.

For these reasons, many coal plants will close in the next several years, according to a Navigant Research report published last week. Engineering, demolition and remediation companies stand to win what's expected to be more than $400 million in revenue this year from coal-plant decommissioning in North America, the Eurozone and the U.K. That revenue stream will top out at more than $1.2 billion in 2016, the study projects, before easing back down as the number of old coal-plants declines.

I particularly enjoyed the headline:

'War on Coal' Gains Steam Amid Wars on Terror, Crime, Drugs, Science, Christmas 

It's my impression we are starting to see some "honest" reporting in the liberal press. We had the recent Clinton Foundation story in the NYT as one example, and then the story of the AP reporter asking whether the President's response to the civil war in Egypt was worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. 

Back on the net ...

....  read this story to get a better understanding why employers will move employees to part-time and seasonal under O'BamaCare.

As long as I'm off-topic and getting ready for a long session of blogging on the Bakken, note that Atlanta, Georgia, often known as "Hot-lanta," set a new record yesterday:

Atlanta's high temperature on Thursday was only 73 degrees which is the coolest high temperature on record for August 15.

The previous record was a high of only 77 degrees from 1908.

Again, this was not a "coldest record" in a decade of 100 years, but the coldest August 15th on record, for Atlanta. Just saying.

The Christian Science Monitor also noted the same thing: cold in Atlanta, and wondering why. The jet stream.

Continuing the digression, I often say that under President O'Bama the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' continues to widen. Wal-Mart statistics seem to support this contention. Yahoo!News is reporting:

You're seeing a bit of a split economy where that lower income consumer has been under a lot of pressure but the higher end is doing OK," said Joe Feldman, a senior research director at the Telsey Advisory Group. "You're seeing borrowing is increasing actually for auto loans, for house loans. There is capacity to spend, but it's the high end that's getting that lending to spend. It's really the lower end where you're seeing a lot of pressure." 

Cher said it best:

“I've been been rich, I've been poor. Rich is better. I've been young, I've been old. Young is better.”

Currently, 2,029 Wells On The Confidential List

The highest number of wells on the confidential list that I have seen is 2,117 (I don't recall when that was) since I started blogging four or five years ago (the original blog was deleted, and re-started back in 2009, I believe). I'm losing track of time.

Currently, there are 2,029 wells on the confidential list.

It looks like we will see a record number of wells coming off the confidential list for the month of September, next month when 186 wells will come off the confidential list.

Then, in October, another record: 199.

And, looking a bit farther into the future, it looks like we might see an all-time record for the number of wells coming off the confidential list for any month when 206 wells come off the confidential list in January, 2014. Compare that to 154 in January, 2013 (one year earlier).

Although the number will creep up over time, in a Director's Cut just a few months ago, it was said that only 90 wells/month are needed to come off the confidential list to maintain production (if I am reading the comments correctly).

I update these numbers periodically in the box at the sidebar at the right.

Eleven (11) New Permits Yesterday -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA

I forgot to post this last night. Sorry.

Active rigs: 182 (down)

Eleven (11) new permits --

• Operators: True Oil (4), Zavanna (3), Petro-Hunt (2), Murex, American Eagle
• Fields: Springbrook (Williams), Bowline (McKenzie), Charlson (McKenzie), Writing Rock (Divide)
• Comments: American Eagle has a permit for a wildcat in Divide County; it is "fun" to go back and read about Bowline oil field now that True Oil has several new permits for this oil field.

Wells coming off the confidential list are up to date; see sidebar at the right.

One producing well was completed:

• 25180, 1,630, Whiting, Crane Creek 14-16H, Sanish