Week 53: December 27, 2020 -- January 2, 2021

Top stories for 2020 being developed here.

Annual permit summary: link here.

Top international non-energy story:

• China played the virus just right; economy surging;
• Tensions in the Mideast rising; under-reported;

Top international energy story:

• US crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia second lowest in history;

Top national non-energy story:

• Santa Claus rally does not fail to impress; all major indices end the year significantly higher;
• Vaccine rollout not going smoothly;
• Trump eradicates "seasonal flu" in his last year in office;
• Apple: nine of ten smartphone activations on Christmas Day go to Apple;
• Spam shortage? Fake news;

Top national energy story:

• Biden picks anti-oil team for cabinet;

Top North Dakota non-energy story:

• Human development index, a UN index: North Dakota among the leaders;

Top North Dakota energy story:

• North Dakota crude oil production maintains month-over-month;

Geoff Simon's top North Dakota energy stories:

• Fed officials investigate fiery oil train derailment in Washington
• Petrochem industry remains on ND's radar; probably in 2022
• State legislative leaders defend spending, talk about Legacy Fund
• ND taxable sales down almost 20% 3Q20

Operators:

• NP renews twenty permits;
• When the going gets tough, the tough get going: XTO; Slawson; BR; MRO;
  

Operations:

• Eighteen new permits;
• The WPX Blue Racer wells;
• Four wells on Enerplus' Precipitation pad have been fracked;
  

Fracking:

Wells of interest:

• MRO, Voigt, Bailey oil field;
• Equinor, Jack Cvancara, Alger;
• Zavanna, Gust, Long Creek;
• MRO, Anthony, Moccasin Creek;
• Petro-Shale, USA, Charlson;
• BR, Tailgunner, North Fork;
• XTO; Bobcat Federal, Bear Creek;