While the gain in the rig count is less than it has been the past few weeks, today’s number still shows an increase of 7 new rigs exploring for oil and gas, according to the latest numbers from Baker Hughes.  It isn’t surprising that the Permian Basin is still the hot spot, with an increase of 7 new rigs for ...

This is the third article in a series addressing water issues in North Dakota.  Every legislative session and campaign season, some politicians will utter the phrase “we can’t be picking winners and losers”.  This statement is often meant to squelch any conversations regarding subsidies for businesses and industries. A statement used primarily by republicans as a talking point and syntactical ...

This week’s Baker Hughes North America Rotary Rig Count showed another week of increases in Texas, with an addition of 11 new rigs exploring for oil and gas. The U.S. total rigs is now 870, up 13 from last week. Nine of those rigs are exploring for oil, while 4 are searching for gas. The Gulf of Mexico lost 3 ...

No one ever said working any number of Bakken jobs would be easy. The hours are long, and the weather…well, you never quite know what the weather will do. In the winter, you can count on short days and biting winds. In the summer, expect a few days over a hundred and expect mosquitoes and sunburn. But the work is ...

While Canada lost 19 rigs this week, the U.S. Baker Hughes rig count continues its steady upward climb. With fourteen straight weeks of increase, it doesn’t seem as though it will stop anytime soon. This week’s total is up ten from last week. Of the 857 rigs, 688 are exploring for oil, while 167 are exploring for gas. Two rigs ...

Oil prices have taken a wild ride in recent years, and nobody knows exactly where they will settle. Some market analysts, though, have a better idea than others. Brent Berarducci of Blacklion Capital Management, namely, is one unique to the oil and gas financial market. His boots have been on the ground (as well as 30,000+ feet in the air) ...

President Trump’s executive order signed Tuesday rolling back Obama-era policies probably won’t bring back coal industry jobs, but it could provide the industry some much-needed breathing room to continue working on ways to stay competitive in the ever-changing energy landscape. President Trump signed his “Energy Independence” executive order surrounded by coal miners, who heard the President say many times throughout his ...

The first in a 5-part series on the controversial water industry of western North Dakota. Reprinted with permission.  The state of North Dakota is now experiencing a serious crossroads situation regarding the Western Area Water Supply Authority (WAWSA) and its future path.  Uncertainty is nothing new to WAWSA and its project as controversy, a questionable business plan and forceful government ...

After a small slump last week, the Permian basin is back on top in U.S. rig count gains released March 24. The Baker Hughes U.S. rig count gained a total of 20 new rigs this week, with a total of 809 rigs exploring for oil and gas. Baker Hughes reported 21 new rigs exploring for oil and gas, totaling 652, ...

In a shockingly bad public relations decision, the Western Area Water Supply has published an official public support position of the Water (Royalty) Tax in House Bill 1020. WAWS Goes Political Here is what WAWS is now saying about the provisions in HB 1020 to tax private frack water sales: A water royalty clause was also introduced in HB1020. As ...