robert.j
rbent member
Posts: 424
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[/quote] For being such a nice mild-mannered guy he certainly does have some "issues" ... "This area of Texas has oil and gas, lots of it (depleting rapidly). And thanks to the Bush/Cheney Govt. all proposed energy based projects that are applied for, go through without opposition. The last few years it's been like a 'burn down the house to stay warm for one night' type approach to harvest the gas and leftover oil here, these guys have no idea what they're doing, besides a get rich quick scheme. So this area is simply exploding around the clock/ 24/7 of Oil and Gas rig trucks, service workers, and everything else that comes along with it. From the window of my room I could see 3 active drilling rigs in the distance. I realize I could have a good paying job here within several hours, but would prefer to work one of the local taco stands than sell my soul for the prosperity of Bush/Cheney." Jeeezzzzz [/quote] This is getting a little "political," which I usually avoid, but I can't let this one pass. This guy simply has no idea what he's talking about. 1. There's lots of gas in the area (it's the largest gas field in Texas), but NO oil - nada, zero, zip, NOTHING! 2. In the US, unlike almost any other country, mineral rights are owned by private citizens, not the government. No one has to apply for anything with "Bush/Cheney." He must be assuming US oil and gas law is the same as Canada's. If Bush/Cheney are benefitting from the drilling in this area it will be because they own stock in Chesapeake, XTO, Devon or whoever else is active in the area. Of course, any of you can do that too. However, look at what's been happening to oil and gas stocks the last few months and you'll see they're not doing so hot either. 3. Nobody's "burning the house down" by sucking down the reserves faster than they should. Most Barnett shale wells are drilled one well per 40 or 80 acres (horizontal wells may be one per 120 acres). It is extremely rare that a well is affected by an offsetting well. Most people think the Barnett will get down to 20 acre spacing and still rarely compete with the wells around it for reserves. Many, maybe most, of these wells will produce for 20+ years. I'm not completely up on the economics for Barnett wells, but I suspect payout on a company's investment takes 3-5 years per well, not including paying overhead (my salary), etc. Hardly a "get rich quick" scheme. The only people getting rich quick are the folks fortunate enough to own mineral rights, for which they're getting somewhere in the neighborhood of $25,000/acre bonus and 25% of the production from the well, for which they contribute nothing financially. I say, good for them. Many of them are small farmers/ranchers and it's about time they got a break! And "Bush/Cheney" nor anyone else can force them to make a deal with any of the gas companies if they don't want to. 4. All those truckers, service workers, etc, do this because they make darn good money. Any body wanna guess why the North Texas economy seems to be doing OK relative to much of the rest of the nation? If this guy wants to work minimum wage at a Taco stand instead of more than double that as an entry level worker on a rig or some other job, well, I guess each to his own. How does he know he isn't selling his soul to whoever owns the Taco stand?? Sorry for the rant, but as someone employed in the energy industry for 30+ years (except for the couple of years there was no work to be had) I get tired of all the misinformation floating around out there. Now the most important part: CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL YOU FOLKS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE TTT! Everyone did a great job and I'm really jealous I can't get to that level. Great pics and write-ups. Y'all did recumbency proud! Robert
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