Friday, November 13, 2026

Daily Activity Report -- Pending -- November 13, 2026

Locator: 52154B.

WTI: $88.56.

Active rigs: 33. 

Four new permits, #43483 - #43486, inclusive:

  • Operator: Phoenix Operating.
  • Field: Ranch Creek.
  • Comments:
    • Phoenix Operating has permits for four John wells, NENE 32-146-98, 
      • to be sited 475 / 565 FNL and 999 /1000 FEL.

Four permits renewed:

  • Lime Rock Resources: a State permit and a Kary permit, both lot 1, section 30-144-96, Cabernet oil field, Dunn County; and,
  • Petro-Hunt: two Setterlund permits, SWSE 33-159-94, North Tioga oil field, Burke County.

Two producing wells (DUCs) reported as completed:

  • 42175, 833, BR, Omlie 1-8-7 TFH, McKenzie County;
  • 42184, 1,072, BR, Omlid 6-8-7 MBH, McKenzie County. 

Alison't Top North Dakota Energy Stories -- November 13, 2026

Locator: 52153B.

Quick connects:

• North Dakota's opportunity: Put Bakken gas to work at home -- Bismarck Tribune
• Mandan's data center ban election is weeks away. Here's what to know -- Bismarck Tribune
• Poll: North Dakotans worry data centers will strain power, water -- Williston Herald
• ND landowners argue property rights before US Supreme Court -- North Dakota Monitor
• DOE-funded project to boost grid capacity for rural communities, tribal nations -- Prairie Research Institute
• Natural-gas fired generating station in Oliver County would offer economic benefits -- Minot Daily News
• Is agriculture 'losing its voice' in North Dakota's Legislature? Some are concerned -- Grand Forks Herald
• State tourism grants draw scrutiny over millions awarded to private attractions -- McKenzie County Farmer
• Plain Talk: 'Buck stops with our office,' Secretary of State Michael Howe says of ballot errors -- InForum
• Senators question North Dakota judge pick Axt on experience, 2020 election, Jan. 6 -- North Dakota Monitor
• D'Ya NoDak: Election takeaways, and what to expect in the upcoming Legislative session -- Prairie Public
• Case for shooting down North Dakota's property tax cap took big blow on Election Day. -- Dickinson Press
• North Dakota Development Fund pauses as Legislature expected to weigh future -- North Dakota Monitor
• North Dakota businesses are thriving, but troubling workforce warning emerges in new survey -- WZFG
• State experiencing critical shortages in elementary and special education teachers -- Grand Forks Herald
• Board of University and School Lands announced historic distributions for 2027-2029 biennium -- KFYR-TV
• North Dakota State Penitentiary residents, staff raise more than $4,500 to fight student hunger -- WZFG
• Surrey faces post-election decisions after results show bond issue failed by five votes -- Minot Daily News
• Dickinson Public Schools solutions to increasing enrollment and progress towards goals -- Dickinson Press
• Port: When it comes to school bonds, a simple majority should be good enough -- Williston Herald
• North Dakota University System employees want more pay, happy with benefits -- North Dakota Monitor
• NDDPI asking for comment on proposed Every Student Succeeds Act, federal funding revisions -- KX News
• Minot Public School Board approveds sale of two empty lots and a former elementary school -- KX News
• Secretary of State Howe recommends Surrey School District contest bond election -- Bismarck Tribune
• Surrey School Board votes unanimously to contest failed bond election after ballot error -- Bismarck Tribune
• Opportunities at SWCTE: Family and Consumer Science teachers provide life skills -- Dickinson Press
• Williston Basin School District reviews academic engagement data with new state baseline -- Williston Herald
• North Dakota DPI unveils application process for first potential charter schools -- North Dakota Monitor
• Minot School Board agrees at meeting to market 3 properties with open houses planned -- Minot Daily News
• South Heart School board listens to public comment, discusses student absences -- Dickinson Press
• ND receiving nation's largest dollar increase in Rural Health Transformation Program funding -- KFYR-TV
• New rural hospital network helping North Dakota's rural hospitals survive and thrive -- Bismarck Tribune
• Voters in Divide and Traill counties reject property tax increases; budget cuts expected -- Grand Forks Herald
• Sustainability under fire: Officials push to modernize rural emergency services -- McKenzie County Farmer
• Arnegard's budget targets infrastructure, parks and municipal improvements -- McKenzie County Farmer
• NASA investigates loud boom heard in Divide County, likely caused by a meteor exploding -- KX News
• Darwin Williams takes helm of MHA Nation following decisive election victory -- McKenzie County Farmer
• City of Alexander prepares for another year of infrastructure investment in 2027 -- McKenzie County Farmer
• Williams County reports smooth election and approves Williston's special election -- Williston Herald
• McKenzie County's 2035 Comprehensive Plan nears completion; review invited -- McKenzie County Farmer
• McKenzie County prepares to close out significant year of road improvements -- McKenzie County Farmer
• Beulah pursues low-interest financing for more than $1.2 million in future street improvements -- The Beacon
• Divide's voter turnout strong; commissioners, sheriff reelected; Jacobson picked as auditor -- The Journal
• Proposal to alter heavy truck fees in western North Dakota will not work for Divide County -- The Journal
• Republicans sweep District 33; Boehm wins Senate seat; Novak, Heger take House seats -- Hazen Star
• Mercer County voter turnout tops 51%; county exceeds statewide rate by 12 percentage points -- Hazen Star
• Oil down more than $7 a barrel in post settlement trade as Trump signals restraint on Iran -- Reuters
• International Energy Agency to push for faster and wider electrification at COP31 -- Oil Price
• National average for cost of gas dropped to less than $4 per gallon for first time since July -- The Hill
• US power demand to beat record highs in 2026 and 2027 as AI use surges, EIA says -- Reuters
• EPA proposes to open oil and gas regulations; advocates question lost safeguards -- Bismarck Tribune
• Trump administration announces plans to sell some public lands in the years ahead -- The Hill
• How a gasoline trader's ties to JD Vance helped land a prized Venezuela oil contract -- Reuters
• EPA proposes to change oil and gas regulations; opposition questions lost safeguards -- Bismarck Tribune
• Oil settles $3 higher on attacks on Saudi energy sites escalted, Strait of Hormuz disruptions -- Reuters
• United States handled more than $12B of Venezuela's oil revenues in first nine months of year -- Reuters
• Study warns NATO forces could see jet-fuel shortages due to Net Zero refinery closures -- The Telegraph
• Democrat leaders have history of climate activism, despite promises they've moderated -- RealClearEnergy
• Media are wrong, voters are more worried about affordability, not costly "climate action" -- Climate Realism

Thursday, November 12, 2026

Existing Home Sales -- Lowest Level In 16 Years -- Friday The 13th -- Friday Morning -- November 13, 2026

Locator: 52150B.

Inflation numbers today: a rate increase before the end of 2026 is guaranteed. The question is whether the Fed surprises us with a 50-base point increase.  

Apple: Josh Brown -- perhaps the best analyst I follow, certainly the most enjoyable to follow, said yesterday that AAPL is the stock trade of the year.  

Nvidia: 74% chance Jensen Huang returns to Nvidia. Steve Jobs did. We all know how that turned out. [Posted prior to the Haas news. That changes everything. If a "Haas" takes the job, Haung won't be coming back.] 

Rivian: update here. Upbeat article but between the lines not a great look for Rivian.  

Hope springs eternal: housing sector feels things will turn around if rates decline -- but that's not gonna happen. Analysts looking for at least a 25-basis point increase in the Fed rate -- possibly two quarter basis points -- 

Apple: if you positively, absolutely rely on e-mail, stick with Apple.  

Microsoft 360: went down globally about noon US ET yesterday; by midnight, MSFT 360 was pretty much back up across the US but still significant problems overseas. Later, 7:47 a.m. November 13, 2026: still having problems; in fact earlier this morning had a small jump in number of folks affected; this is very, very strange. 

From yesterday, Thursday: one expects everything should be back to normal by today (Friday, November 13, 2026), but we wont' know until we know. It's not clear what happened but Microsoft says it was not due to an external hacker. 

IRA contribution limits: for 2027, IRS releases contribution limits -- some minor tweaks but IRA limits were left unchanged for the most part. 

Trump: advised Jensen Huang to fight for his job. That speaks volumes about how Trump would have handled it had he been in a similar situation. Oh, that's right ....

Much could be said. 

Book page: Anne Carson's translation of four plays by Euripides, Grief Lessons: Four Plays, c. 2006. Interesting, limited availability. I got the softcover. The hardcover was way out of my price range. Notes will be kept here.

********************************
Back to the Bakken

WTI: $88.43.

New wells reporting:

  • Sunday, November 15, 2026: 42 for the month, 108 for the quarter, 607 for the year, 
    • 42394, conf, KODA Resources, Ale 2436-4BH, 
    • 41405, conf, Enerplus, MHA Olympic 4994 42-31-10B,
    • 41402, conf, Enerplus, MHA Aspen 4994 42-31-8B, 
    • 41396, conf, Enerplus, MHA Fly 4994 42-31 3BX, 
  • Saturday, November 14, 2026: 38 for the month, 104 for the quarter, 603 for the year,
    • 42474, conf, Phoenix Operating, Afseth 34-3-10 4HF, 
    • 42473, conf, Phoenix Operating, Afseth 34-3-10 3HF, 
    • 42472, conf, Phoenix Operating, Afseth 34-3-10 2HF, 
    • 42148, conf, Enerplus, MHA Cacao 4893 31-14 8BX, 
    • 42147, conf, Enerplus, MHA Cod 4893 31-14 8BX, 
    • 41397, conf, Enerplus, MHA Vail 4994 42-31 4T,
  • Friday, November 13, 2026: 32 for the month, 98 for the quarter, 597 for the year,
    • None. 

RBN Energy: developers of greenfield gas storage projects battle for Gulf Coast customers. Link here. Archived. 

The Gulf Coast needs a lot more natural gas storage capacity, and while brownfield expansions at existing salt cavern facilities will likely prevail in the near term, there is a limit to expansion opportunities. That opens the door to greenfield storage projects, especially those that can offer tried-and-true salt formations, proximity to LNG export terminals, connectivity to multiple gas pipelines, and high gas-injection rates. In today’s RBN blog, we conclude our series on Gulf Coast gas storage with a look at more greenfield projects.

In Part 1 of this series, we said the Gulf Coast gas storage market is now in the midst of a massive buildout expected to continue into the early 2030s. The growth is driven primarily by the storage needs of new and expanding LNG export facilities. Part 2 discussed the sharply higher gas storage rates that LNG terminal operators in particular are now willing to pay and considered how much new gas storage is likely to be built along the Gulf Coast over the next few years. Part 3 and Part 4 reviewed several of the storage projects currently under development, beginning with brownfield expansions and then starting a look at greenfield projects. Today, we conclude that review.

For starters, a reminder that brownfield salt cavern projects typically have an economic advantage because much of their required infrastructure (compressors, brine management systems, pipeline interconnections, etc.) is already in place. But with strong demand for storage space, at least a few of the best greenfield projects — the ones with good salt formations, sites, interconnections and injection rates — are likely to advance to a final investment decision (FID) over the next couple of years.

Sempra Infrastructure

Sempra Infrastructure’s LA Storage project in Cameron Parish, LA (magenta tank icon in Figure 1 below), is in a category of its own for two reasons. First, while LA Storage may be considered a greenfield project in that there are no existing gas storage caverns at the site, Targa Resources operates several NGL storage caverns nearby and the U.S. Department of Energy operates several more for crude oil storage at its Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s (SPR) Hackberry site. Second, unlike projects that have yet to reach FID, the three-cavern first phase of LA Storage, with a working gas capacity of 12.5 Bcf, reached FID in September 2023, is under construction, and is slated to come online in Q2 2027. Phase 1 will have a maximum injection capacity of 1.5 Bcf/d and a maximum withdrawal capacity of 1.5 Bcf/d. 

Copper -- Stranger Things -- November 12, 2026

Locator: 52149SCCO.

Apple -- November 12, 2026

Locator: 52148AAPL.

Tag: Apple.  

Re-posting:

AAPL: finished in the red today after hitting new all-time highs. Interesting, huh. Take a look at these headlines today:

Ticker AMZN: