Week 20: May 12, 2019 -- May 18, 2019

Top international non-energy story this past week: Tiger Woods misses the cut at the PGA championship just two weeks after taking the Masters championship.

Top international energy story this past week: Mideast saber-rattling results in all-out war of .... words.

Top US non-energy stories this past week:

• US economy
• US beef gains full access to Japan
• US consumer sentiment surges to highest level in 15 years
• Jobless claims plummet
• Another huge drop in jobless claims
• Southern surge to result in huge US economic stimulus 

Top US energy story this past week:

• New York denies natural gas pipeline; and, here; and, here;
• OXY-Anadarko-Buffett; and, here; and, what's next for Chevron?
• Another huge US crude oil inventory build; and, here;

Geoff Simon's top ND energy stories this past week:

• Oil production rebounds from cold weather; Helms expects the industry will be back in record-setting territory for oil production very soon with road restrictions ending and more favorable weather on the way.
• Wealthiest county in North Dakota can't find money for schools
• Watford City awarded $10 million airport grant; grants also awards to airports at Fargo, Hillsboro;
• Plastics plant: second attempt -- North Dakota most likely site -- spokesman
• North Dakota drops 11 spots in US News rankings -- Fargo Forum; (it all depends on what data is being tracked). Washington State (#1); New Hampshire (#2); Minnesota (#3)
• NOAA: previous studies over-estimated methane emissions from oil industry; from the NOAA itself; the same agency that knows the temperature of the earth one hundred years from now to the nearest tenth degree

Operations:

• MRO continues to impress with its re-frack program in the Bailey oil field; and, here; and, here;
• MRO has a well that extrapolates to 135,000 boepd
• 2,665 wells are off-line for operational reasons;  
• Production records: North Dakota sets new all-time natural gas production record; probably sets all time toal boepd production record; comes close to hitting new crude oil production record
• Unexplained jump in production at a Whiting Flatland Federal well
• CLR gets a great well with a "do-over"
• Unexplained jump in production of a CLR Whitman well;  
• Sporadic nature and unpredictability of the Bakken
• QEP refracking wells in the Helis Grail
• Petro-Hunt's monster USA well shows another jump in production; 

Pipelines:

• Takeaway issues re-emerging 

Bakken 101:

• "Parent-Well-Uplift" phenomenon

Miscellaneous

• Overland Aviation breaks ground for new facility at new Williston airport -- now called the Williston Basin International Airport
• Plastics plant promoter files for bankruptcy
• North Dakota lease sales; things take time;
• CO2 EOR resulting in 60% recovery