Wow! Thirteen (13) New Permits -- Eighteen (18) Yesterday -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Daily activity report, August 23, 2011 --

Operators: BEXP (5), EOG (2), Hess, Fidelity, Zenergy, XTO, Zavanna, Burlington Resources

Fields: Kittleson Slough, Foreman Butte, Alger, West Capa, Parshall, Cedar Coulee, Sanish, and a wildcat.

BEXP has two 2-well pad permits; BR has the wildcat.

Two wells released from confidential status but placed on DRL status, waiting to be completed (fracked). In past two days, 9 wells came off the confidential list; only one fracked at six month point.

However, 12 wells reported an IP today (previously on DRL status, no complete). Many of them very good wells (reported elsewhere). Here are some of the good ones:

• 17468, 878, MRO, Hendricks 34-20H, Dunn County
• 19087, 1,395, Newfield, 1-H Sandhill 25-36, Williams County
• 19284, 1,130, MRO, Edward Darwin 14-35H, Dunn County
• 19323, 2,521, Helis, Thompson 1-29/32H, McKenzie County
• 19533, 1,342, North Plains Energy, Hellandsaas 16-8H, McKenzie County
• 19834, 1,291, MRO, Jacob Madison 11-27H, Mountrail County
• 19961, 2,816, KOG, Koala 3-2-11-14H, McKenzie County
• 20022, 1,067, SM, Jaynes 16-12H, McKenzie County

The MRO wells are particularly interesting. MRO had a reputation for rather mediocre IPs (500 range was typical, so these are quite extraordinary; I've noticed this about MRO the past few months; IPs are increasing.

That KOG well is very, very nice, of course.

Jim Cramer -- Mad Money -- Killdeer, ND -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Wednesday.

Link here.

195: New Record

195 active drilling rigs in North Dakota.

Dynamic link here.

Spanish-Language Training For Hispanic Gardeners in Nevada -- Stimulus Dollars At Work -- Shovel-Ready Jobs -- Residential Landscaping

Link here.

A federal stimulus grant of nearly $500,000 to grow trees and stimulate the economy in Nevada yielded a whopping 1.72 jobs, according to government statistics. 

According to Recovery.gov, the U.S. government's official website related to Recovery Act spending, the project created 1.72 permanent jobs.  In addition, the Nevada state Division of Forestry reported the federal grant generated one full-time temporary job and 11 short-term project-oriented jobs.

"If the question is ‘was this a job-creating project?’ the answer is 'no, it wasn't,'" said Bob Conrad, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The grant also funds Spanish-language training for Hispanics in the landscaping and tree care industry to "develop employability skills and increase job retention." 

I cannot make this stuff up.

Spanish-language training for Hispanics living in Nevada? Okay.

Rigs Leaving the Oil Patch!

Yup, the rigs are leaving the oil patch, heading overseas.

No, I'm not talking about the Bakken but rather the Gulf.

I used to follow this story. I counted six deep-sea rigs that had left, by which time it was no longer news and I quit following. It's now up to ten.

Link here.

Ten oil rigs have left the Gulf of Mexico since the Obama Administration imposed a moratorium on deepwater oil and gas drilling in May 2010 and others could follow soon, a detailed July 2011 report from Sen. David Vitter’s (R-La.) office shows.