Update On Natural Gas Pipelines To New England -- RBN Energy; Trump With 10-Point Lead Among Those Who Say They Have Definitely Decided -- November 3, 2016

Gotta love them Norwegians: nearly 15,000 Norwegians apply to hunt 47 wolves in controversial culling that will slash population by 70% - VRT -- from "Breaking News." #WolvesLivesMatter; and, the movie, "No Country For Old Wolves."

Poll: I've always wondered if Trump might actually go over 50%. When I saw the USC-Los Angeles Times poll yesterday, I thought it might be possible. I haven't followed the Rasmussen poll very closely so I don't know if this has happened before, but Rasmussen is reporting that Trump is polling 50%+ among those who say they have definitely decided. In the "overall" poll, Trump leads Hillary, 45% - 42%. But look at this:

Eighty-eight percent (88%) of voters say they are now certain how they will vote. Among these voters, Trump has a 10-point lead over Clinton – 53% to 43%. Johnson gets two percent (2%) and Stein one percent (1%). This is the first time any candidate has crossed the 50% mark. Among those who still could change their minds, it’s Clinton 36%, Trump 36%, Johnson 22% and Stein six percent.

Russia's Northern Fleet: it appears the fleet is loitering just east of Crete. Its position has not changed much in the past 24 hours -- again, just off-shore from Crete suggesting there may be some re-supply activity. 

ObamaCare: as if it's not bad enough, another insurer has said it will leave ObamaCare if results don't improve. Anthem says it may exit ObamaCare. 

Health insurer Anthem Inc., which has so far stuck with the Obamacare markets as rivals pulled back, said it may retreat in 2018 if its financial results under the program don’t improve next year.

Anthem’s comments up the stakes for the Obama administration as the enrollment season for 2017 Affordable Care Act plans begins, with consumers already facing fewer choices and higher premiums in many markets.

Earlier this year, in Forbes: Anthem Gains Obamacare Customers And Sees Profits, Expansion Ahead.

Anthem’s first quarter earnings were better than expected as the company welcomed 1 million new customers across its businesses since the end of last year, including 184,000 who signed up for coverage on public exchanges under the Affordable Care Act.

In contrast to UnitedHealth Group, which is scaling back to a handful of public exchanges to sell individual policies, Anthem ANTM sees the so-called Obamacare business as a growth opportunity. Anthem, which sells policies under the Blue Cross and Blue Shield brand in 14 states, expects to remain in those markets next year with the potential for expansion should its merger with Cigna be approved. [Earlier this year, BC/BS pulled out of Arizona, ground zero for ObamaCare.]

“I think a sustainable model can be built,” Anthem chairman Joe Swedish said of public exchanges in an hour-long conference call this morning with analysts. “This remains a dynamic marketplace. Over time, we do believe we are well positioned for sustained growth.”

So what happened between April, 2016, and November, 2016?

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Back to the Bakken

Active rigs:

	11/3/2016	11/03/2015	11/03/2014	11/03/2013	11/03/2012
Active Rigs	35	69	186	181	188

RBN Energy: New England keeps lid on new natural gas access.

Natural gas utilities and power generators in southern New England will have access to additional gas supplies this winter as Spectra Energy brings its 342-MMcf/d Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) project into service. But Kinder Morgan’s planned 72-MMcf/d Connecticut Expansion has been set back a year (to November 2017) due to permitting delays and, more important, a multi-state effort to enable electric distribution utilities (EDUs) to contract for gas pipeline capacity for generators appears to have died, and with it prospects for at least one major project.

Is New England destined to remain gas-supply constrained for years to come?  Today we consider recent developments regarding gas supply in the northeastern corner of the U.S., and what they may mean for Marcellus/Utica producers.

Saudi Aramco: McDermott adds a new office, 300 additional workers, increasing its engineering capacity in Saudi Arabia. Data points:

• In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) -- established by Saudi Aramco to support increased levels of localization inside the kingdom
• McDermott added three new projects for Saudi Aramco, 2Q16
• Saudi Aramco still on track for IPO in 2018

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The Trainwreck

First it was The Wall Street Journal, then The Washington Post, and now CBS: "customers" shocked by high ObamaCare 2017 premiums.

GOP needs to run, not walk, away from this debacle. By March, 2017, ObamaCare will be dead. Its only cheerleader will most likely be out of office.