My success, over the last 15 years, is due to acreage acquisition in geologically defined areas, drill sites picked by seismic definition and/or within known productive areas and having an attorney and a geologist with his masters, as partners. It also has a lot to do with having the guts to roll the dice on your own nickle, win or lose.
It has nothing to do with enviro-nazis, who, in one area where we drilled over 54 wells, caused the price per well to increase from an average of $180K per well to $250K per well, due to DNR regulations imposed after enviro lawsuits. They HURT that endeavor in a big way.
If you bothered to read my other posts in this thread, you can see that I also advocate coal, nuclear and hydro power. This nation needs all the power it can get, (even your wind) and even though new nukes, drilling ANWR, new coal plants, new hydro projects and yes, wind farms, would have the effect of lowering commodity prices affecting me, I don't care. It is for the good of the nation as a whole, and that matters more to me than current prices. Actually, the current high prices are chasing away big manufacturing users such as chemical and fertilizer companies, steel and agri-business. Lower prices would help the solvency of those companies and keep their usage high.
I am able to make profits at $2.00 per mcf, as easily as $4.50. Just have to drill the more prolific wells.
Since you are well aware of my antipathy for enviros, I'm curious why you don't have the same, inasmuch as they will fight your wind projects almost as hard as drilling efforts.
In an effort to end this time consuming pissing match, once and for all, I'll concede that wind generation is getting closer to being a commercially viable power source, however, due to it's unreliability, it can never stand on its own. Just as none of the other sources can. The current price imbalance of natural gas will fade over time as it has for the 25 years I've been in the business.
Still, you're missing (or denying) the point. Those enviros you love to hate have artifically increased the demand for your gas, at the expense of coal. Without that increased demand, your employer wouldn't have acquired the acreage or rolled the dice. I'm sure you know this is true.
Since you are well aware of my antipathy for enviros, I'm curious why you don't have the same
I do share your antipathy for the environuts, as I wrote previously: "You and I can stand in unison in deriding them and their misguided causes." I've only said you owe them some gratitude. That doesn't mean I like them any more than you do.
I'll concede that wind generation is getting closer to being a commercially viable power source,
Wow, that must've hurt. I'm touched. ;O)
If it isn't already, it certainly is fast becoming commercially viable. Just forget about those piddly little antiques in California, please. We'd still be riding the rails cross-country, if people kept pointing to the Wright Flyer as evidence of aviation's shortcomings.
Technological advances are making wind power cheap.
however, due to it's unreliability, it can never stand on its own
Oh, I'm glad you brought that up. If, by "unreliability" you mean the wind isn't always blowing -- that favorite "diss" of the uninformed and anti-anything-that-sounds-like-the-enviros-might-like-it crowd -- I'll counter that all we need is a 21st Century grid, and wind can be every bit as reliable as your gas. The wind is always blowing somewhere and it's certainly viable enough to provide economical power for peak demands.
Just as none of the other sources can.
Wow, that must've hurt, too. ;O) So, it sounds as if your only real beef with wind power is commercial viability. Hey, you're almost on board.
Even if you can't thank a greenie for giving you job security -- and, deep down, you must know they are -- I'm encouraged that it seems you're trying to keep an open mind about wind power. Don't worry, I won't tell your buddies. But, I can't speak for biblewonk. :-)