If you haven’t signed up for The Big Sky Business Journal “Hot Sheet”, you are missing out. Here’s some highlights from the latest edition:
Due to a shortage of employees McDonalds Restaurants in Sidney is closed on Wednesday and Thursdays and open the other days of the week from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The owner said he has only 11 employees and five of them are high school students.
Why the cutback? Too many customers, not enough employees as the Bakken oil development has led to surge in job openings across the region.
They also share some of the findings from the Montana Chamber of Commerce’s annual P-Base Survey:
Montana voters remain very supportive and want the state to encourage and promote development of timber, oil and natural gas, mining, and coal. Ranging from 71% encourage and promote for coal up to 82% for timber, there is no doubt, reported the Chamber, that Montana voters want the state to promote development of its natural resources.
SayAnythingBlog.com: North Dakota Flaring Down In September, Gas Capture Up 147% Since 2011
What’s remarkable is that since September of 2011, when the percentage of gas flared hit a high point (or a low point, since nobody likes to see a valuable commodity wasted), the oil and gas industry has increased the amount of gas captured in North Dakota by nearly 148%, from 8,703,604 to 21,537,763 cubic feet. That’s a faster rate than the increase in overall gas production – 120% – during that same time window.
And this is in the face of rock-bottom prices for gas. It’s only the large amount of liquid petroleum in the gas that makes its capture economic.
As much grief as oil producers in North Dakota get for flaring, they deserve credit for keeping pace with gas capture alongside of exploding gas production in less than optimal economic conditions.