Week 48: November 27, 2016 -- December December 3, 2016

Top story of the past week? North Dakota was named to the number one spot on Fast magazine's list of states with the best business prospect in 2017. If Bakken 2.0 hits its stride by June, 2017, there is no question in my mind that North Dakota will see activity that has not been seen in years. Goldman Sachs supply-demand graph. There are three likely "bands":

• $45 - $55 oil, 75% likelihood: slight increase in activity
• $56 - $65 oil, 20% likelihood: significant increase in activity
• trending toward $75 oil, 5% likelihood: a second Bakken boom

Possibly that was the top story of the week, but for me, this was unquestionably the top story of the week: the report that the breakeven costs in the Bakken a) compare favorably with those in the Mideast; and, b) the Bakken has some of the lowest break even costs among the various unconventional oil plays in the US.

Internationally, of course, was the story that OPEC agreed to a production cut/freeze for the first time in eight years.

Operations
Active rigs jump to 40 in North Dakota
Crescent Point Energy reports a 70-stage fracked well
Crude oil production in North Dakota for September, 2016
Bakken crude oil receiving terminal proposed for Washington State 

Fracking
Fracking sand 101

Pipelines
North Dakota borrows another $7 million for DAPL-related security costs
US Army Corps of Engineers closes protest camp -- but won't enforce 
Another pipeline expansion proposed for the Bakken

Miscellaneous:
WHS Wind Ensemble names the 2016 - 2017 Governor's Band
BHI will build a new fracking and cementing services company with BJ Services name 
US stock market: the Trump rally; the OPEC rally
Winter storm Blanche hammers North Dakota
Saudi Arabia and the Red Queen
US LNG exports continue to surge