Good, Bad & Ugly Duckling

EXXON, the BIG TIGER ~ Good or Bad?

Enstar, your local natural gas supplier ~ Good or Bad?

Ben Stevens ~ Good, Bad or Ugly Duckling?

Right off the bat a Big NO have it your way! As contrary to popular demanding opinions, EXXON does get the coveted “Good Guy” Award while Enstar gets the “Bad Guy” honors and Ben gets the “Ugly Duckling” trophy. If you don't read on as to why this awarding's outcome is credible and deserving, then you are conceited. The “Good Guy” and why: See, back in 1965, the tiger under the humbleness of Humble Oil Company, it had acquired an oil & gas tract lease way up “North” in Alaska – for about $1.5-million bucks. Which accounted for about 25% of the state's take-home payola for its “14^th Competitive Oil & Gas Lease Sale”, wherein the results were broadcast by Walter Cronkite during the popular CBS evening's newscast – as it was an historical event! All of the lease sales up to the 13^th were Dudley and more! For the “Tiger”, that was a whole lot of money back then! Now this was during the time period that Alaska was seeing inevitable $$$ change, as with the discovery of oil, it meant a “Black Gold” opportunity for a state that was still reeling from that Congressional stamp of approval with “statehood”. Yes, Alaska was no longer a territory and with this “striking it rich”, it was about to become the envy of the Red, White & Blue nation as the wealthiest reserve owner that would catapult this “wilderness” from rags to riches. Today, a reserve that reaches close to $40-billion, owned by the 49er state that is still the Federal government's NO. 1 recipient of Uncle Sam handout welfare. True fact, even with the Obama “Stimulus”! And yes, the rainy day “$Reserve$” is from oil! Now this lease located in the middle of nowhere that was acquired by EXXON when it was still “Humble”, it was a rather interesting prospect – for two all important reasons. First and foremost, it wasn't an ordinary “oil pool”, as it contained some very, very good “Hot” stuff. No not Sarah Palin! Basically, it didn't need any further refinement as right out of the ground, it was usable as motor gasoline – rich “lead in your pencil” gasoline! So it was already marketable without a whole lot of extra fanfare to make it worth something. Secondly and probably more important, this “strike” was only two-measly-miles away from Area 1002, of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – ANWR it is called. In the North Slope world of things technically challenging – 2-miles is chump change and now with extended reach drilling finding no bounds, ANWR's underworld was basically ready for the taking by outside attackers. From EXXON's lease, it would have been very easy to send a drill bit right into ANWR, to see and suck. But EXXON decided that ANWR was off limits, too much of a controversy nightmare ready to haunt even the toughest of players - even before that EXXON tanker hit the rocks in 89. So EXXON decided not to develop the Pt. Tompson pool – a high-pressure retrograde condensate formation for reasons other then “Greed” usually rules. See, the state geologists knew that this was the ultimate “pot-of-gold” and was an accurate indication of what may exist underneath ANWR, just over yonder. Remember this was good stuff and it was in an area already sanctioned for development and permitted, the Green Light was lit, right at the ANWR doorstep. See, EXXON didn't need the “potent oil” from Tompson for its “warehousing” portfolio as the controversy that would follow development close to ANWR, it would be akin to that albatross around the Tiger's neck, it wasn't worth it. EXXON knew how to make a good profit in Alaska, even without going after this “glory hole”. And even though it was so close to ANWR, it was still about 60-miles away from the mainstream development of the Prudhoe Bay area, and EXXON planned to keep this area off limits. It isn't cheap holding on to leases and refraining away from development, as it costs money to maintain the leases, it is money down the drain if development doesn't take place. Oil companies are always throwing in the towel on leases that can wait and have lost interest, but in this case EXXON wanted to keep it in the family. Yes family, as it was partially owned by the other major players already on the Alaskan scene, like ARCO and SOHIO. So it has been a team effort at keeping ANWR locked up, by the very powers that could benefit from “Open for Business” – said again, it is too much of a controversy and that can only get you tied up in environmental nightmare litigation. So “Big Oil” said the hell with ANWR, but didn't want some “podunk” coming in and getting access – the ultimate reason to keep a grip on the expensive leases, even if it meant $millions$ thrown overboard to keep current with the state resources' boss! But that was the intent, as EXXON was adamant about keeping it in good hands. So EXXON and its partners in Pt. Tompson threw away money, year after year, until the state went pissed. See, the state wanted EXXON to develop this tract, as EXXON had the “Big Pockets” to build the infrastructure required to get closer to ANWR. And now the state under Parnell's mis-leadership, it has insisted on shoving the “Shared Facilities Agreement” down “Big Oil's” throat, wherein the outfits with the big pockets have to “share” so the peons from Texas can make a buck! This is American at its best, without such interference from Perry, wherein competition rules, not “podunking”! But the fight was on and the state was loosing ground. Alaska thinks it is going broke, so has called in the Independents – the podunks. These sleaze-bag outfits, many under foreign flagship, they are cheap and want the state to bend over some more, with royalty and tax relief that brings in nothing for the state coffers. So the state finally decided to take EXXON to court, for reneging on developing this tract. Either get with it or get away from it was the state's sentiment. And finally, after years of maintaining the leases and $millions$ in litigation, EXXON lost out and is now forced to develop the lease, by building a pipeline and processing facility that even the podunks could use, as they reach closer to ANWR. And the state knows it has EXXON by the balls, as there is renewed interest from Alaska's mansion to spend money to get that oil out of ANWR! So it will only be a matter of a few years before we see ANWR looking like industrialized Prudhoe Bay, and all it takes is a little slip of that joy stick and that drill bit will be heading right smack into that area of controversy and all the state bureaucrats will just turn their heads, and worship the crookedness that surrounds this entire mess. So basically speaking, EXXON has been the roadblock to ANWR development for well over 50-years by now. Now of course EXXON and its partners will never admit to this, as it is an oil company conglomerate at work and would never be allowed to instigate this kind of stalling. But that road-blocking came at a cost, as EXXON had to spend $million$ in litigation costs. When the pressure was on by the state and the governor had the superior court on his side, it was do or die for the “Tiger”. Yet EXXON wasn't about to just give in and give up – no way in hell. So it put up a pretty good fight and we now see the “Final Frontier” being invaded! Look, it is the state of Alaska that is pressing forward to go where no man has gone before and where caribou still thrive by the thousands! See, nobody was hurt by keeping ANWR locked up, except the State of Alaska. So due the fact that EXXON was trying to keep ANWR closed, an accomplishment 50-years in the making, it deserves this “Good Guy” Award! And the reason as to why Enstar gets the coveted “Bad Guy” award, stay tuned! Look this company that supplies natural gas to south-central pays the “Book Keeping Cooker” a lousy salary, like maybe they have him in a pinch. At the same time, that same corporation pays Ben's buddy a whooping over the hill salary to play out his fantasies as a newscaster pubic relations man. Now with respect to the “Bad Guy” and the “Ugly Duckling”, well Enstar used to be “humble”, when it was owned by Seagull Energy. But when the crooks took over, that band of misfits out of Michigan, the first thing we hear about is some bull-shit that the consumers have to eat $6-million in lost profits, because Enstar tried to screw the ARMY by overcharging the cost of gas so men and women in uniform could use the laundromat! Yes, Enstar overcharged the military in the tune of $8-million, so had to repay or else face a firing squad – a drone attack today! Look, Enstar's shareholders should be eating that humble pie – not those with no responsibility this blunder – us consumers. But Enstar was caught taking candy from the cookie jar! Hey, even EXXON wouldn't try to pull this kind of criminal mischief off. See, EXXON at least had the courtesy to realize what was in store for the Tiger, Enstar thought it could get away with thievery at our expense. Why, just ask the “Ugly Duckling”, because he made off with some loot!