Week 49: December 2, 2018 -- December 8, 2018

Every week it is difficult to select the top stories for the week. This week, it seemed, was particularly difficult. I would have liked to have added a lot more posts to the list of top stories for the week, but the list has to be constrained (sort of like Bakken production). -- Wow, good luck at diagramming that sentence! LOL.  

Without question, the top story of the week was the announcement that the US has become a net exporter of crude oil and petroleum products for the first time since WWII. The youngest 17-year-old who would have fought the last days of WWII would be 90 years old this year. For the first time ever, no survivors of the USS Arizona attended yesterday's Pearl Harbor ceremonies.

Geoff Simon's top North Dakota energy stories:

• ND legislature starts to look at spending money on infrastructure: process to be labeled "Operaton Prairie Dog" because the critters are known for their infrastructure prowess -- not to say their incredible annoyance for developers -- just saying
• Legislators see benefits of oil tax revenue -- oh, no!
• Winter doesn't stop Williston airport work
• Permian oil/gas discovery is largest ever
• Pilot Flying J expands Bakken waste water trucking -- Bloomberg
• Meridian hires McDermott for Davis Refinery engineering -- Rigzone
• PSC split decision on Xcel Energy wind farms -- Jamestown Sun
• Permit denied for Burleigh-Emmons wind farm -- Bismarck Tribune

International
The United States becomes a net exporter of crude oil and petroleum products for first time in 75 years:

• screenshot
• here
• pace of change is staggering
• the "California effect" 
• US to become net energy exporter by 2022
• reader's caveats 

North America
Canadian CBR now exceeds Bakken CBR

Canada
Curtails oil production

US
Permian is "huger" than previously reported -- USGS Survey; press release from Dept of the Interior;

Corpus Christi loading first LNG cargo? 

Operations
MRO well: almost 120,000 bbls in one month -- with a little extrapolation 
CLR reports another huge Wiley well  
Kaiser-Francis Sanish wells in 4-153-92
A Duperow well added to list of monster wells
Huge initial production numbers coming out of the Bakken
Around the Bakken 

Bakken 2.5
Ten DUCs reported as completed
Six DUCs reported as completed
Bakken 2.5 and 3.0 defined
Record-setting Bakken performance 

Miscllaneous
New fact-checker for the blog hired
An incredible new link added to the blog
Happy Birthday, Ms Kate Hopkins #1 -- 61 years old

Come On Home And Turn Me On, Norah Jones