The Oil In North Dakota : Drilling Rig Activity

With President Obama leading the charge for so-called clean, green energy while attempting to scuttle our nation's oil and gas production at every possible turn, we hear next to nothing about sucessful drilling operations. Not in the country's blamestream media, we don't. The last thing the enemy within wants is to see us become energy independent via traditional, petroleum driven methods.

Yet it's happening. In western North Dakota, where the proven Bakken formation alone could get the job done for all of us, were it to be fully developed, We the People are extracting--and/or preparing to extract-- "black gold" from the Bakken at an ever-increasing rate. The drillling rigs aren't finding many dry holes, either.

Progressive Democrats are thus being quietly stymied--whether most of them know it or not--by good ol' American ingenuity, entrepeneurship, and hard work. Roughnecks, tool pushers, drillers, mud engineers, derrick hands, deck hands, worms, company hands, and more--Third Generation Oilfield Trash is bringing home the bacon.

As Sarah Palin has said, "Drill, baby, drill!"

To those outside of the industry, truly understanding what makes oil extraction go 'round and 'round is about as confusing as I found college calculus to be. Give 'em a nice, simple chart any insider would grasp at a glance, and it hits the brainpans as garbled gibberish, something like this:

Current Active Drilling Rig List

Rig Operator Well Name and Number Current Location County File No Start Date ** Next LocationPIONEER 3 WHITING OIL AND GAS CORP ODERMANN 41-31TFH NENE 31-142N-101W BIL 19135 * MIRU UndeterminedPATTERSON 183 CONTINENTAL RESOURCES HAAG 1X-21H SESW 21-144N-99W BIL 19875 11/2/2010 UndeterminedNABR WELL 164 BERENERGY CORP GLENBURN NORTH MADISON UNIT 36-1H NENE 36-159N-82W BOT....

(To make sense out of that mess, just click on the link.)

How rapidly has North Dakota drilling activity been increasing? To answer that question, here are a few dated headlines from the Bismarck Tribune:

Over 40 rigs drilling in N.D. oil patch

ARTICLE: WILLISTON (AP) - More than 40 rigs are drilling for oil in North Dakota, the state Department of Mineral Resources reports. December 6, 2006.

Number of oil rigs reaches 50

ARTICLE: MINOT (AP) - The number of operating oil rigs in North Dakota has hit 50, the highest number in nearly a quarter century. October 10, 2007.

About 80 rigs drilling for oil in N.D.

ARTICLE: North Dakota's oil boom is continuing, with about active 80 rigs now reported drilling for oil. August 7, 2008.

Now, let's fast forward to today, November 14, 2010...when we find (according to North Dakota's official Dept. of Mineral Resources page on the subject), that there are now 157 rigs drilling for oil in the state.

Roughly speaking, that means a doubling of drilling activity every two years since 2006. Folks, energy companies don't ramp up an oil boom like that for the sheer fun of it; they do it because they're making money at it. Which means they're finding oil and lots of it. The heck with OzBama and his Zombies; we've already started down the road to energy independence without them.

Drill, baby, drill!! The man in the White House must feel like he's getting a root canal without any Novocain every time he hears that mantra...and I'm willing to bet a drill bit to a worn-out muck boot that after the states of Alaska, Arizona, and Louisiana, he hates North Dakota the most.

Now, just to leave this page open, update it every now and then, let's set up a little chart...shall we?

TOTAL RIGS DRILLING IN NORTH DAKOTA

December 6, 2006: 40.............October 10, 2007: 50

August 7, 2008: 80..................(Fast forward to hub date)

November 14, 2010: 157.........November 26, 2010: 163

December 3, 2010: 164............December 10, 2010: 166

March 25, 2011: 171...................April 22, 2011: 175

August 23, 2011: 195................August 28, 2011: 199