For Investors Only -- ONEOK Partners -- SeekingAlpha

I posted this "for investors only" because that's the audience the article targets. However, there is quite a bit on the Bakken and the Bakken Crude Oil Express Pipeline.

In what had to be shocking to all but industry insiders, Oneok Partners announced a few weeks back that it would not proceed with the Bakken Crude Express pipeline that would send crude from the Bakken to the oil hub in Cushing, OK. The pipeline was scheduled to begin construction in early 2014 and be completed by mid-2015.

Considering producers had long complained about the lack of takeaway capacity in North Dakota hurting pricing, it was very shocking that the pipeline didn't attract enough commitments.

Ironically, on the way to finalizing contracts, the rails have taken over in North Dakota as the most attractive alternative. Rail lines such as BNSF now have enough capacity to handle the daily production and the ability to ship the product to the coasts where it is needed more. Instead of shipping directly into a disadvantaged hub where oil would again become congested, a large percentage can now be sent to Phillips 66 refineries on the East Coast, thereby skipping the middleman.

By the way, the linked article above links to another SeekingAlpha.com article: Buffett's railroad beats ONEOK's pipeline.