Notes From All Over -- The TGIF Edition -- June 18, 2021

Wow, I'm in a great mood. What a great country.

100+ degree temperature today here in north Texas. I had an errand to run today, so I took my bike. Beautiful ride; fortunately a short ride. 

While on the frontage road along a divided four-lane highway (an interstate by any other name) I passed a parked Optimus Prime Western Star! Wow! It was brand new, not a scratch on it. I snapped a few pictures, then walked up to the passenger-side door, knocked and the driver -- about 35 years old, Hispanic-Caucasian -- opened the door. Nice guy; nice conversation. I would have enjoyed talking more but he was obviously taking a break and needed a bit of quiet-time. I have it on good authority these trucks are likely to be converted to EVs in the not-too-distant future up in Portland, OR. Photos, Texas Hiway 121 northbound, Grapevine, TX:

 Thoughts From The Ammo Line: another nice essay. She begins:

For a couple of decades now, our betters have inveighed against “inhumane” raising of chickens and promoting “free-range chickens.” Now I am not a fan of being cruel to ANY of God’s creatures, big or small, with the exception of scorpions and Communists (but I repeat myself). Haha. I kid the Communists.

I have to change the channel when the puppy mill ads come on. But I have seen chickens up close and personal and frankly prefer to see them naked, roasting in a pan. 

Four hours in the pool today over three separate periods: twice by myself, alone; the third time with Sophia.

To bed early tonight; catch you all in the a.m.

The Elmore Madison Unit

Elmore Madison Unit:

• about a 4-section oil field, right along the Canadian border; unitized; targets the Madison formation;
  
• east-to-west, pretty near dead center of Renville County;
• producing wells in that field, posted June 18, 2021, unitized spacing:
  
• 8524, IA/65, Murex, Harkness A 1-R, Elmore, t12/70; cum 175K 3/18; target: Madison; the "R" is not new; it has been there since at least 1971; it refers to a "replacement" well;
  
• 3049, 125, Murex, Harkness 4-27, Elmore, t12/62; cum 435K 4/21; target: Madison;
• 12235, 108, Murex, Harkness 3-27, Elmore, t3/88; cum 130K 4/21; target: Madison;
• 3016, 80, Murex, Harkness B 2, Elmore, t10/61; cum 418K 4/21; target: Madison;
• 10261, 108, Murex, Harkness B-3, Elmore, t9/83; cum 111K 4/21; target: Madison;
• 3108, 135, Murex, T. P. Clifford 1-A, Elmore, t3/62; cum 354K 4/21; target: Madison;
• 9791, 12, Murex, Burrell 3-B34, Elmore, t1/83; cum 153K 4/21; target: Madison;
• 3164, 209, Murex, C. F. Burrell 2, Elmore, t5/62; cum 319K 4/21; target: Madison;
• 10314, 10, Murex, Mott A 3, Elmore, t9/83; cum 55K 4/21; target: Madison;
• 3170, 112, Murex, Mott A 1, Elmore, t6/62; cum 122K 4/21; target: Madison;
• 8108, 105, Murex, Keith 23-35, Elmore, t1/81; cum 95K 4/21; target: Madison;
• 8989, 27, Murex, State of North Dakota 1-36, Elmore, t11/81; cum 53K 3/20; target: Madison;

Gasoline Tax To Pay For That Trillion-Dollar Green Energy Infrastructure Bill? June 18, 2021

Have the Dems finally found a tax they don’t like?

From Charles Kennedy:

Democrats in Washington have become opponents of a possible gas tax increase to pay for the infrastructure bill as the Biden Administration is vowing not to raise the tax burden on households earning less than $400,000 annually.

"When you have Jeff Bezos making as much money as he is, it is not fair for us to then raise the gas tax," Congressmember Pramila Jayapal of Washington state told The Hill.

Progressive politicians and environmental campaigners want the U.S. to "tax the rich" and not burden the working Americans further with taxes such as a gasoline tax.

Jayapal tweeted last week, "There's NO reason why billionaires like Jeff Bezos should be paying LESS in taxes than working Americans — or paying NOTHING at all. We're going to pass a wealth tax, level the playing field, and make sure the ultra-rich pay their fair share."

Many lawmakers in Washington have realized that increasing the gas tax to pay for the infrastructure plan is not the right course or right decision now, according to The Hill.

"Now"? Is increasing the national gasoline tax ever the right thing to do when the richest folks are not paying federal income tax and are now buying federally-incentivized EVs which pay no road tax at all.

"The ultra-rich"? That would be a start. But how about the simply "rich" also paying their "fair share"?

"Democrats" are becoming opponents of a possible gasoline tax increase to pay for this infrastructure bill. I'm curious: do the Republicans support an increased federal gasoline tax? Asking for a friend.

It's being reported that eight famous US billionaires paid no federal income taxes...

In 2018, Tesla founder Elon Musk, the second-richest person in the world, also paid no federal income taxes. Michael Bloomberg managed to do the same in recent years. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn did it twice. George Soros paid no federal income tax three years in a row. The list includes Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg.

We already have a wealth tax on middle class investors. It's called RMDs.

Hunt With Five New Permits; Sixteen Permits Renewed -- June 18, 2021

Active rigs:

$71,64	6/18/2021	06/18/2020	06/18/2019	06/18/2018	06/18/2017
Active Rigs	21	12	62	64	57

Five new permits:

• Operator: Hunt
• Field: Smoky Butte (Williams); Green Lake (Williams)
• Comments:
• Hunt has permits for two Blue Ridge wells and three Smoky Butte wells;
• all five wells will be sited in lot 3 section 6-159-100
• the wells will be sited between 265 FNL and 345 FNL and between 1375 FWL and 1460 FWL;

Sixteen permits renewed:

• BR (7): two Shafer permits, two Sandie permits, and three West Kellogg permits, all in McKenzie County;
• Murex (3): one EMU C permit; one Michael Douglas permit; and, one EMU A permit; the EMU permits in Renvillle County; the Michael Douglas permit in Williams County; I believe EMU refers to "Elmore Madison Unit." See this post.
  
• Whiting (3): three Link permits, all in McKenzie County;
• Petroshale (2): two Anderson  South permits in McKenzie County;
• Rimrock: a Two Shields Butte permit in Dunn County;

Has anyone noticed how few DUCs are being reported?

Natural Gas Fill Rate; Gasoline Demand -- Mixed Pictures -- June 18, 2021

Apparently there was some re-classification of natural gas storage data yesterday which I understand not at all (maybe a reader can explain it to me) but be that as it may, here is the EIA data for the week:

Gasoline demand, link here:

Combining this graph with the jobs report yesterday, short term, it appears, things are not moving as quickly as the optimists had hoped, with regard to the US economy. Folks need to be reminded this is .... hellooooo ... summer ... things are going to be slow until / through October, 2021. The president's goal was for 70% of American to have at least one vaccination by July 1, 2021 and yet the world as a whole is running about 3%. Is that not amazing? The US is trending toward 70% and the rest of the world is trending toward 7%. 

And, if gasoline demand and the jobs report was not sobering enough, the Canadian announcement in the last 24 hours: cross-border movement between the US and Canada will be extended through July 21, 2021. 

Wow, the Canadians must really hate us. LOL. Why wouldn't they? Trump? Good, bad, or indifferent, Biden has been so much worse for Canada.

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