Whoo-Hoo! The Enerplus Turtle Pad Wells Come Off The Confidential List Today -- March 4, 2020

Active rigs:

$47.86	3/4/2020	03/04/2019	03/04/2018	03/04/2017	03/04/2016
Active Rigs	50	68	59	45	35

Wells coming off the confidential list today -- 

Wednesday, March 4, 2020: 5 for the month; 176 for the quarter, 176 for the year:

• 35099, 710, Oasis, Kellogg Federal 5297 12-30 7B, Banks, t9/19; bcum 141K 1/10;
• 35068, 1,306, Enerplus, Terrapin 152-94-33D-28H, Antelope-Sanish, t9/19; cum 139K 12/19;
• 35067, 326, Enerplus, Box 152-94-33D-28H-TF2, Antelope-Sanish, t9/19; cum 118K 12/19;
• 35066, 372, Enerplus, Painted 152-94-33D-28H, Antelope-Sanish, t9/19; cum 155K 12/19;  

Enerplus Turtle pad: tracked here.

The Oasis Kellogg Federal wells: tracked here. 

RBN Energy: new infrastructure in Texas is driving flow and price changes in the state's gulf coast gas markets, part 2.

Given that Permian natural gas prices are once again hovering under $0.50/MMBtu, Texas’s other gas markets get little attention these days. That doesn’t mean that major shifts in the Lone Star State’s natural gas supply and demand markets aren’t occurring outside of West Texas, however. In fact, it’s quite the contrary, particularly when it comes to the Houston Ship Channel gas market. There, major changes — new gas pipelines, pipeline reversals and new LNG trains — continue to influence flows and prices. Today, we provide an update on the latest in gas infrastructure changes along the Texas coast and their potential impacts on the region’s supply and demand balance.

RBN Eergy: Augustus crude pipeline advances Lotus Midstream's broader Permian plan.

The new, large-diameter crude oil pipelines coming online between the Permian Basin and the Gulf Coast grab all the headlines.

They wouldn’t be nearly as valuable to producers, however, if it weren’t for a number of other, smaller projects being developed in West Texas to transport large volumes of crude from major gathering systems and storage hubs to these new takeaway pipelines.

A case in point is Lotus Midstream’s recently unveiled Augustus Pipeline project, which will use a combination of new and existing pipe to initially transport up to 150 Mb/d of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), West Texas Light (WTL) and West Texas Sour (WTS) from Midland to Crane. When Augustus starts flowing late this year, crude delivered to the Crane hub could flow into the Longhorn Pipeline to Houston, or maybe the EPIC Crude or Gray Oak pipelines to Corpus Christi. Today, we discuss Lotus’s planned Midland-to-Crane project, and its significance for Midland Basin producers and the pipe’s owner/developer.

Slawson With Six New Permits; Kraken Reporting Three Huge DUCs -- March 3, 2020

Active rigs:

$47.00	3/3/2020	03/03/2019	03/03/2018	03/03/2017	03/03/2016
Active Rigs	50	67	59	45	35

Six new permits today, #37422 - #37427, inclusive:

• Operator: Slawson
• Field: Big Bend (Mountrail) 
• Comments:
  Slawson has permits for a six-well Tempest Federal / Orca Federal pad in Big Bend, NWNE section 23-152-92.

Four producing wells (DUCs) reported as completed:

• 36695, A/SI, Kraken, Redfield South 36-35 5H, Lone Tree Lake, t--; cum 18K in 15 days, extrapolates to 36K in a 30-day month;
• 36646, A/drl, Kraken, Redfield South 36-35 4H, Lone Tree Lake, t--; cum 27K in 23 days; extrapolates to 35K in 30 days;
• 36645, A/SI, Kraken, Redfield South 36-35 3H, Lone Tree Lake, t--; cum 24K in 23 days;
• 35602, A/SI, XTO, Cole Federal 44X-32D, Siverston, t--; cum 2K over 8 days;

Grandfather For The Fifth Time -- March 3, 2020

Yesterday I had three granddaughters.

Today, I'm a grandfather for the fifth time.

"MatthewMark" Moberg in the top photo. Note the "A" on the beanie.

"LukeandJohn" Moberg in the bottom photo. Note the "B" on the beanie.

Whatever their "real" names that's how I will always remember them. LOL. 

Apparently their mother is doing well, but no one has mentioned Laura in the past thirty minutes. No wonder moms suffer post-partum depression.

I assume their father took these pictures with his iPhone 11.

No statistics provided yet, but based on the photos:

• Baby A: 6# 2 oz [Actual: 6# 9 oz]
• Baby B: 5# 14 oz [Actual: 5# 15 oz]

38 weeks gestation.

Elective c-section scheduled for today; scheduled some time ago due to both twins being breech. By time of delivery, one remained breech. 

Notes From All Over, Part 1 -- March 3, 2020

Wow, I'm in a great mood.

The Apple page: I've talked about this a couple of times, but I'm talking about it again.

The Apple Pencil is incredible. Sure, Sophia uses it all the time for drawing / sketching / painting, but I'm finding it is incredibly useful when surfing the net. Pinpoint accuracy compared to fat fingers. And it never needs charging! Of course, it needs charging but because it charges when "touching" the iPad, it stays at 100% all the time when it's being used. Whatever it cost when I bought it a year ago, it was really, really well worth it. The iPad -- I really don't use it that much -- Sophia likes it better than the laptop. I love how she sorts out the differences between tablets, laptops, and smartphones. Pretty amazing.

Development in the DFW (north Texas) area: everywhere I drive, if there is an open field, from one-quarter acre to ten acres, it's being developed. It is truly incredible. I'm sure the "macroeconomic numbers" suggest the Texas economy has gone over the cliff due to the oil sector, but I'm not seeing it here. By the way EOG, increased its dividend, and it was not trivial.

SRE: was paying $3.87/year. Raised its quarterly dividend to $1.05 -- $4.20. At least I think that's what I saw. I won't recheck. I'm not looking at the market until the coronavirus hysteria dies down. If I'm wrong on the dividend, let me know. As noted, I'm not going to re-check. $4.20 - $3.87 = 8.5% increase.

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site.  Do not make any investment, financial, career, travel, job, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here.

Note: I often make simple arithmetic errors.

Still investing: I won't look at the market, but that doesn't mean I'm not investing. I went to my on-line brokerage account to see how much cash had accumulated, and I bought another 100 shares of a company in which I'm building a position. I stay fully invested. That particular stock is not in the energy sector; it has fallen about 16% since the beginning of the coronavirus hysteria. I'll never be able to buy it this cheap again.

McDonald's: due to a different driving route, I'm at a different McDonald's today. The customer service is incredible. Twice in the 15 minutes I have been here, a different employee has come by to see if I need a refill (coffee refills are free, unlike Starbucks). I am convinced the real "Lola" served me. Wonderful, wonderful person. She/he may be the assistant manager, or the manager for all I know. This particular restaurant is pretty much all African-American and I'm in my wonderful, wonderful Grapevine, TX, home.

Politics:

• Both Biden and Bernie need to put an African-American woman on the ticket, or announce several high Cabinet positions to be headed by African-American women.
• this is like chess, where each piece is given a numerical value:
• king (president): 100 points -- although technically, priceless
• queen (vice-president): 50 points (maybe 75 points in this case)
• bishop: Secretary of State: 25 points
• bishop:  Secretary of the Treasury: 25 points (it's really not worth that much but "treasury" sounds important);
• knight: Secretary of HHS: 25 points (worth even more than SecState in the "real world")
• knight): Secretary of Defense: 10 points (very, very important, but no one cares)
• rook (castle): Secretary of Labor: 25 - 50 points (importance dependent upon the person holding that position; everyone remembers Robert Reich; no one can name the current SecLabor)
• rook (castle): Secretary of Veteran Affairs: 10 points (very, very important, but again, seldom seen, heard)
• Pawns: eight other cabinet positions, each worth 5 points. 

Now that we have the points:

• Susan Rice (50 points)
• that woman from Georgia who thinks she is already president (10 points)
• Kamala Harris (25 points)
• Elizabeth Warren (technically and biologically she's not African-American but by November, 2020, she will be; she will suggest that some body part suggests she has some African blood and/or she has an innate preference for urban rap (music) (10 points)
• Colleen McMahon: chief judge of the Southern District Court of New York (75 points)
• any member of "the squad" (0 points; but will become tsars; advisors)
• Donna Brazile (50 points)
• Barbara Jordan, Texas: Biden's first choice and then will be reminded Ms Jordan is unavailable (75 points until Biden gets the memo)
• Eddie Bernice Johnson, Texas (50 points)
• Carol Mosely Braun (50 points): actually younger than both Biden and Bernie
• Michelle Obama (100 points)

NDIC Daily Report From Yesterday, Posted; Speaking Of Dividends; Nothing Else To Talk About; Quiet Tuesday; No Wells Coming Off Confidential List -- March 3, 2020

Market: as noted earlier, I am not following the market. I have not checked in for over a week now. I do however look at dividend announcements. I may have missed some but here are two biggies:

• EOG announced an increase in its dividend, and it was not trivial;
• SRE announced an increase in its dividend; 

EOG, link here, go to February 27, 2020, announced, 38 cents/share; also here;

EOG Resources pays an annual dividend of $1.15 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.83%. EOG's next quarterly dividend payment will be made to shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30. The company has grown its dividend for the last 2 consecutive years and is increasing its dividend by an average of 19.73% each year. EOG Resources pays out 23.09% of its earnings out as a dividend.

SRE, link here, go to February 25, 2020, announced, $1.05/share:

Sempra Energy pays an annual dividend of $3.87 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.72%. SRE's next quarterly dividend payment will be made to shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15. The company has grown its dividend for the last 9 consecutive years and is increasing its dividend by an average of 5.56% each year. Sempra Energy pays out 57.08% of its earnings out as a dividend. 

AMGN: link here, increased quarterly dividend by 10.3%, from $1.45 to $1.60, Feb/Mar 2020;

Amgen pays an annual dividend of $6.40 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.13%. AMGN's next quarterly dividend payment will be made to shareholders of record on Friday, March 6. The company has grown its dividend for the last 9 consecutive years and is increasing its dividend by an average of 11.64% each year. Amgen pays out 43.18% of its earnings out as a dividend.

Others:

• Concho Resources: link here; hikes quarterly dividend 60% to 20 cents / share
• FLS, announces an increase in its dividend to 20 cents/share.
• SUNCOR: a 10.7% increase;
• UPS: an increase of 5.2%
•  Wisdom Tree, a number of "funds": an increase of 800%; 172%; 216%, 267:, etc.
• SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF: up 480%
• UNP, BAX: unchanged;

Most interesting: I did not see any companies of note/importance (to me) cutting dividends. Of course, my blinders were on. LOL.

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site.  Do not make any investment, financial, career, travel, job, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here. 

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Back to the Bakken

Active rigs:

$47.70	3/3/2020	03/03/2019	03/03/2018	03/03/2017	03/03/2016
Active Rigs	52	67	59	45	35

 
No wells coming off the confidential list today.

Daily activity report, yesterday, March 2, 2020:

Four new permits, #37417 - #37421, inclusive:

• Operator: Petro-Hunt
• Field: Burke
• Comments: 
• Petro-Hunt has permits for a 5-well Blikre/Powell pas in SESW section 31-159-93, East Tioga oil field;

Four permits renewed:

• Lime Rock: a Harlan Rebsom permit, a State Dvorak permit, both permits in Dunn County
• EOG: a Hardscrabble permit in Williams County
• Whiting: a Bartleson permit in Mountrail County 

Five permits canceled:

• QEP: five MHA permits, four in Dunn County; one in Mountrail County

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Backyard Patio 

Juvenile cardinal:

One can see a red flash on the developing crest, as well as a red flash on the left wing. Up until a few days ago, the parents were arriving first, and the baby would arrive shortly thereafter. For the past two days, the baby has been arriving first, and the parents not showing up at all (at least while I'm there to see them in the morning). That suggests to me the parents are focusing on their second clutch of the season.