Week 4: January 19, 2020 -- January 25, 2020

Top commentary:

• Rystad Energy on US shale, 2020:
• the Red Queen; 
• All that talk about a slowdown? Not so fast

Top blog story:

• New operator in the Bakken;  

Top international non-energy story:

• The coronavirus coming out of China; global reach; 
• Brexit -- done;
• Western Canadian municipalities left holding the bag;

Top international energy story:

• Oil plummeting in price on Chinese coronavirus fears; and, here;
• India about ready to import much more US crude oil;

Top national non-energy story:

• US existing home sales near two-year high;  
• North Dakota leads all states in tax collection since Great Recession;

Top national energy story:

• US gasoline inventories at record high; google doofus-in-chief;
• "Rule-of-capture," Pennsylvania; 

Top North Dakota non-energy story:

• Record state multi-family apartment complex sale in the Bakken;

Top North Dakota energy story:

• January drilling report -- Bakken not slowing down -- EIA;

Geoff Simon's top North Dakota stories:

• Long X bridge replacement continues; winding down for winter; will be open by winter, 2020;
• Trump approves Keystone XL on federal lands in Montana
• South Dakota board approves Keystone XL water permits
• Hearing set for ONEOK natural gas liquids pipeline in Williams County
• PSC not seeking more spill information for proposed DAPL expansion
• Minnesota regulators to consider Line 3's revised environmental review
• Oil production and exports hit historic highs for US
• Watford City new elementary school starting to take shape

February dockets:

• New operator in the Bakken;   
• CLR looking to put 24 wells in one drilling unit;
• Hess looking to put 12 wells in one drilling unit; 

Operations:

• January drilling report -- Bakken not slowing down -- EIA; 
• MRO reports a huge well in Reunion Bay;
• NDIC reports 21 wells on one day (clearing a backlog, not a fracklog)

Natural gas:

• Inventory rate of decline decreases -- in the middle of winter;

Natural gas liquids:

• Outrigger with Texas plans; compare with North Dakota;
• LNG: the big winner after China-US trade deal signed?

Bakken economy:

• Legacy Fund January, 2020, deposits rise;

Commentary:

• Shale production sees continued year-over-year efficiency improvements -- EIA; 
• US energy consumption, 2018 -- EIA

Global warming, and other scams:

• Top US banks don't want to lead the climate fight;
• UK likely to get colder; 
• California Tesla registrations plummet;
• US energy-related CO2 emissions to fall; fossil fuel production to increase;

Investing:

• Pipelines doing just fine;
• Boeing stock trading halted; re-started; surprise gain at end of week;