Week 19: May 3, 2020 -- May 9, 2020

Top story of the week:

• California's crumbling economy; and, here;

Top energy story of the week:

Favorite video:

Best news all week:

• Tesla looks to move out of California; HQ to TX; manufacturing to NV?

Biggest non-story of the entire week:

• Obama involved in Flynn case from the beginning?

Top international non-energy story:

• Things are just a bit too quiet in the Mideast right now; 
• Iran introduces new currency; lops four zeros off the "old" rial;

Top international energy story:

• OPEC Basket settles at $22/bbl
• Venezuela: CVX says it will stay;

Top national non-energy story:

• Trump's "total approval" rate at 49%; tops Obama's approval rate at same point in presidency;
• States starting to re-open

Top national energy story:

• US gasoline demand shows life; 
• Jet fuel delivered drops a whopping 67%;

Top North Dakota non-energy story:

Top North Dakota energy story:

• Tea leaves suggest DAPL to be shut down
• Number of active rigs drops below 20; 

Geoff Simon's top ND stories (does not include stories posted elsewhere on this page): pending

• Mercer County places moratorium on wind farms
• State submits amicus brief i support of DAPL pipeline
• State estimated 6,800 wells have been shut in
• "Project Tundra" CO2 capture plans moving ahead
• Hess sees no production shut-ins on hedges, storage capacity
• staggering 450,000-bbl drop in ND's daily oil production as 6,800 wells idled
• Nearly $3 million in CARES Act funding headed for Minot International Airport
• Camping in ND parks will re-open May 8, with restrictions  (think NYC, think Tokyo, and then think about density of camping in ND -- am I missing something?

Operations:

• Three spectacular EOG Clarks Creek wells; and, here;
• Zavanna reports a nice well in Poe field;
• MRO's nice D-S-T wells in Reunion Bay;
• MRO reports an incredibly B-D-E-F pad;
• Another BR Shenandoah well goes over 500K;
• Operators:
• Chesapeake Energy preparing for bankruptcy;

Advantaged oil:

• Zavanna's Usher well in Poe field; 
• Slawson's Mamba, Bandit wells;
• Old Kraken well production jumps 8-fold;

Fracking:

• BR's re-fracked Veeder well;

Natural gas:

Bakken economy:

Commentary:

• Bakken update -- RBN Energy;
  
• Saudi Arabia didn't increase production all that much; rather, it emptied its onshore storage in the Mideast;
• Why the next oil price cycle is so important for Saudi Arabia -- contributor, SeekingAlpha;
• Sweden picked the wrong strategy if measured by deaths per capita;
• Atmospheric CO2 rises despite shut down of global economy;