Week 44: November 1, 2015 -- November 7, 2015

I suppose the biggest news of the week, although it really wasn't news, was the Keystone TKO decision. The New York Times said it won't make a difference; all that Canadian oil is still getting to the US via rail and barge and existing pipelines. SecState Kerry is still basking in another decision: to open the Iranian oil spigots to help the Persians fund a war to support Syria.

Another big story, of course, was the announcement that MDU will close the deal on Fidelity by the end of the year, which just goes to show that one can sell anything if the price is set low enough. 

We are coming to an end of the earnings season and one can scroll through the past week to see corporate updates. One of the bigger surprises was the huge beat reported by Greenbrier and the company reporting a huge jump in the dividend.

Operations
The number of active rigs in North Dakota hits a new post-Bakken boom record (64)
Random post with various links about the Bakken reported nationwide
QEP reports a 100,000-bbl well in less than five months
Six non-Statoil, high-IP wells
EOG's high density drilling in Antelope / Clarks Creek oil fields
Michael Filloon's update on the Bakken, EOG
SM Energy moves into new building

Fracking
Re-frack opportunity for Lime Rock Resources/OXY 

Bakken economy
A new I-94 exit ramp to nowhere opened west of Dickinson
Update on the new Williston airport
Tesoro makes record-setting donation for North Dakota's affordable housing initiative
Legacy Fund update

Commentary
Idle chatter on global energy

Miscellaneous
Jack Kemp's weekly energy tweets
SI/NC and the art of confidentiality