We need to learn quickly to keep up with the massive change around us so we don't get run over. We need to outrun change.
First comprehensive random survey of groundwater finds no contamination. Increased employment from Bakken spreading towards Black Hills in South Dakota, and another reason production will fall for the next few months.
11/17 – Dickinson Press – Groundwater study shows no contamination – Continue reading “More good stuff on the Bakken – 11/25”
The New York Times ran an entertaining hit piece on the entire Bakken oil field with particular focus on the intentionally lackadaisical enforcement effort from the state. I learned of the front page article from some complimentary twitter comments, from which I guessed this was a major attack before even reading the first paragraph.
Check out The Downside of the Boom.
As I’ve expanded the horizons of my reading over the last four years, I’ve learned how to see the slant on articles. It’s easy to pick up on agendas if you read carefully, watch the choice of words, and assess the point of view. The goal in this report from the NYT is oh so obvious.
Million Dollar Way’s read is the same:
It was clearly an editorial which will be used by movers and shakers in Washington to support their case that the environment is too important to leave it up to state regulators.
Having said that, I believe my point of view is just as visible – since I’m not a professional journalist, I don’t try to hide my worldview when writing about an issue on which I have an opinion. You may thus filter my comments and the NYT article as you wish.
On to the article…
At a simple level, the adjectives and adverbs are slanted. The oil service roads “slash” through the landscape. That description is in a caption for a photo showing a peaceful farm in the foreground, pump jacks on the hill at the horizon, and not a service road in sight. The farmer with those slashed wheat fields is likely depositing checks for twenty or fifty thousand dollars each month.
Leaks in pipelines which are under federal and not state supervision are the fault of the previously mentioned lackadaisical state regulators. Keep in mind a federal agency is responsible for most pipelines and all the big pipes.
Continue reading “Editorial hit piece on Bakken presented as front page reporting”
Just found a wonderful site – Intersection Journal –
Founder and photojournalist Chad Ziemendorf’s description:
Intersection Journal is an online magazine dedicated to capturing the culture, industry and way of life in Western North Dakota through photography and writing. Optimized for the mobile generation, we celebrate living, working in and exploring the Peace Garden State.
Continue reading “Photojournalism site telling the story of North Dakota and the Bakken”
Bruce Oksol arrived in Williston today. He is the author of Million Dollar Way blog. He will be in town 7 or 10 days and (hopefully) will be posting a lot of articles while he is there.
First report, Arrived Safely in Williston, ND, The Heart of the Bakken describes the visible growth.
By the way, his blog has been one of the major sources of education for me since I started paying attention to the energy revolution. If you’ve been reading my blog for the energy news, you really ought to check out his blog regularly. Maybe even set it up on an RSS feed so you automatically get all his posts.
North Dakota has set several records in oil production.
In her article, Amy Dalrymple, N.D. oil production hits 1 million barrels per day reminds us of a few records that I’ve read elsewhere: Continue reading “A few records set by North Dakota and the Bakken field”
Check out these astounding pieces of info from the 2014 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference, as reported by Amy Dalrymple (who else would it be from?): Hamm sees 2 million barrels per day potential for North Dakota: Continue reading “Mind bending tidbits from ’14 Bakken conference”
Here is an updated graph of monthly production in the state, for the Bakken fields and whole state.
Can you pick out the winter months just by looking at the graph?
There were 18 days in February with temps 5 degrees lower than the usual frigid, 4 days with high wind that stopped completions, and production stopped on over a hundred wells because a gas processing plant was off-line for upgrades. With all that, production grew 16,224 bopd to 951,350 bopd.
That is off the high of 973,280 in November.
For more info, check out Amy Dalrymple’s report: Helms says curtailing oil production necessary to reduce flaring. Additional news there is planned rules for the state will place a limit on flaring, which will slightly hold back production.
Million Dollar Way has a complex post describing the increasing density of wells on each portion of land being drilled in North Dakota. Think 14 or 28 wells on 4 square miles. I’ll try to pull a few key ideas out of An Example of “Ears Pinned Back” — As CLR Calls It – In The Bakken.
Density in 2007
In ancient days, say about 2007, the concept was one well on a section. That according to the article.
Density in 2011
Amazing things going on around us. Here is my latest list of a few articles about energy that help me make sense of the radical change taking place. Tomorrow, tidbits of the other newly open frontiers.
Energy
1-6 – CNS News – Saudi Billionaire Prince: Fracking Competitively Threatens ‘Any Oil Producing Country in the World’ – Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal is pushing the Saudi government to diversify the country’s economy. Currently 92% of government revenue is derived from oil, he says. The rapid expansion in output caused by combining horizontal drilling with staged hydraulic fracturing presents a serious threat to any country that is reliant on oil. Big news. Bigger issue.
A delightful “problem” to have – 1-7 – Bismarck Tribune from the New York Times – Oil glut stirs up political brew – The surging production of crude is opening a discussion of whether to allow more exports of crude. Seems we have so much unrefined light, sweet crude we don’t know what to do with it all. As a result, the politicians are getting involved. I wish we as a country and planet had another half-dozen “problems” like this.
(By the way, what Peak Oil?)
More downside to the Bakken boom – 1-10 – The Dickinson Press – Criminal defendants in fed court up 31 percent in western N.D. in 2013 – Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers, energy edition – 1-16-14”
Naturally occurring shallow methane exists all across North Dakota. Methane in water wells has been a known condition for 100 years.
I don’t think fracking has anything to do with shallow methane 200 or 300 miles away. I seriously doubt fracking caused methane to seep into wells 80 years before fracking was used.
A video with over 400,000 views shows a guy lighting tap water on fire. Creator asserts he works in the North Dakota oil fields, which leaves you with the implication the methane in the water is caused by fracking. The commenters on the video quickly reach that scientific conclusion based on an unverified 54 second video from an undisclosed location.
Here’s the poorly known issue.
The Dickinson Press reports ND airports set November boarding records.
With those increases, I’ll make a wild guess there will be more flights added to Dickinson and Williston.
Here’s the passenger boardings and percentage change from same month in prior year: Continue reading “Air travel in North Dakota continues rising in Nov. ‘13”
When I visited Williston in October, I had a wild idea of interviewing a provider of private mail boxes in town. Time didn’t allow any effort to pursue that idea.
Amy Dalrymple has published the interview I could only dream of: Faces of the Boom: Entrepreneur delivers solution for those without an address.
Vern Whitten has superb photos of Bakken oil projects and communities. Having just returned from a road trip to Williston, I can appreciate his work much more now.
Here are two batches of his photos from September 2013:
(Hat tip: Million Dollar Way)
The Dickenson Press seems to have been the first to report on the leak: Pipeline leak spills 20,600 barrels of oil near Tioga.
The pipeline is reportedly 20 years old.
The farmer reporting the leak smelled the oil for a few days before he saw puddles in the field and oil sticking to his tires.
That’s the forecast from Lynn Helms, Director of the Department of Mineral Resources while addressing the North Dakota Petroleum Council meeting.
The projections for production are to eventually hit a level of 1,600,000 barrels a day. That is with the rapid decline rate in Bakken wells. July ’13 production for the state was 874,681 BOPD.
The Dickinson Press article, ND mineral resources director say Bakken in for some “turbulence” has this comment which needs explanation: Continue reading “Eventual Bakken production – 1.6M barrels a day. Current number of rigs could be in place for 20 years”