WorldWide Drilling Resource

34 AUGUST 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Gas, Oil, and Montana Coal Compiled by Caleb Whitaker, Associate Editor, WorldWide Drilling Resource ® The federal government will allow a Wyoming company, Hoover & Stacy Inc., to conduct exploratory gas and oil drilling within the footprint of Montana’s Spring Creek coal mine. Hoover & Stacy holds three leases totaling over 900 acres within the mine area; however, before the company proceeds with exploration work, it would need to obtain a permit. The Spring Creek Mine is owned by Cloud Peak Energy, and thermal coal is extracted from the Anderson-Dietz Seam, which averages about 80 feet in thick- ness. Coal mined from Spring Creek is shipped primarily to electric utilities and in- dustrial customers throughout the United States, as well as various Canadian provinces and exported to Asian utility customers. It isn’t often the federal government attempts to develop coal, gas, and oil on the same land, but horizontal drilling makes development possible. The surface mine reaches down a few hundred feet typically, but gas and oil will likely be devel- oped a mile or more below the surface. The two projects shouldn’t interact because horizontal drilling will not commence directly above a lease. Al Nash of the Bureau of Land Management said, “There was a time and place where there would have been a vertical drilling rig, and there would have been conflict, but not anymore.” Congratulat ions to: Meredi th Hayden Houston, TX Winner for July! Time for a Little Fun! Win a prize! Send your completed puzzle to: WWDR PO Box 660 Bonifay, FL 32425 or fax to: 850-547-0329 Can you identify which classified ads in this issue these two photos came from? Ronnie’s Real World “Hi Ronnie, I just finished reading WorldWide Drilling Resource ® for July 2018, and was especially pleased to see your Ronnie’s Real World article. During my 47-year career in the pump business, I had the pleasure of working frequently in Mexico, providing equipment and supplying technical support to large farm irrigation projects. Most often these projects were in Baja California, Sinaloa, and Jalisco states. One of my most frequent visits was to a US/Mexican irrigation supply company in Los Mochis, Sinaloa. In the mornings, I would most often walk to the office from my hotel anticipating the morning arrival ritual. The sales offices were along one wall with all glass walls open to the lobby/re- ception area. As each employee arrived for work, those who were already there would stop what they were doing, walk out into the lobby area, deliver a handshake, and embrace with a slap to the back. (The backslap didn’t include the ladies.) There followed a very brief exchange about last evening’s events before the discussion transitioned to work-related subjects. Oftentimes, quick meetings ensued during which time the engineers in particular would assist each other with issues relative to their indi- vidual projects. The point is that these men and women started the day with a greeting and a smile which set the tone for a harmonious working environment. The result produced a workplace where the employees truly worked as a team. We have all experienced walking into an office where the employees didn’t look up or acknowledge our presence. These are generally very unhappy people, and I am of the belief it is a failure on the part of management and of each of us individually that has created these negative environments. I am forever grateful for the opportunity I had to work for 21 years with our friends south of the border. Ronnie, thanks so much for bringing a heightened awareness to this subject.” Jorn Daugbjerg This truly is, Ronnie’s Real World . . . WWDR photo of Jorn taken during the 2016 California Groundwater Association Convention. Spring Creek Mine operations, courtesy of Cloud Peak Energy. DIR July Puzzle Solution: Headwater Companies Aries Industries, Inc.