Week 42: October 18, 2015 -- October 24, 2015

I think the big stories this past week have been outside the Bakken. The biggest story was that Great Britain has finally said "no" to intermittent energy. China will be partnering with Great Britain to build three new nuclear plants in England. (The US has a new nuclear reactor, also.) The other big story had to do with the "deep Utica" -- the US is drowning in natural gas, and a new record was set in the amount of natural gas the US exported to Mexico. The announcement that XOM has exited California is noteworthy.

But that doesn't mean there weren't some big stories in the Bakken. The top Bakken story was probably the NDIC's decision to relax a number of rules regarding fracking and flaring.

Operations
Clarks Creek and increased density drilling 
Another nice Madison well in Chatfield oil field 
DUCs continue to increase; and here;
Random look at interesting way to drill a 1280-acre unit 

Pipelines
The Keystone: why the US needs Canadian heavy crude oil
Enbridge Line 9 reversal and how it will affect the Bakken

Bakken economy
North Dakota #1 in economic development -- US Chamber of Commerce
UND-EERC: three-year, $3.5 million methanol research project 

Miscellaneous
Using boiling water from oil wells to generate geothermal energy
Bakken blowout largely contained
Blog housekkeeping: list of Bakken deals consolidated