Week 50: December 12, 2021 -- December 18, 2021

Top story of the week:

• Brandon is still president.
• Kamala Harris: administration did not see Omicron coming.
• Brandon's SecEnergy to oil companies: "drill, drill, drill."
• Elon Musk: Time's person of the year.
  

Top energy story of the week.

• Production per US rig has almost doubled since 2019.
• SPR release? Why?
  

Top international non-energy story:

• LIBOR goes away at the end of the year.

Top international energy story:

• Coal.
• Lock downs = energy policy.
• Spare capacity being questioned. And, here.

Top national non-energy story:

• NDSU advances to national football championship.
• Apple's AirPods revenue.
• Housing starts surge.
• Covid spurs biggest rise in life-insurance payouts in a century.
• Inflation spikes.

Top national energy story:

• Rig production has almost doubled since 2019.
  
• US crude oil demand hits all-tine record.
  
• Production per US rig has almost doubled since 2019.
• Gasoline demand with slight uptick?
• Rigs don't matter.
  

Top North Dakota non-energy story; 

Top North Dakota energy:

• Bruin's FB Belford wells rolling out Bakken 4.5.
  

Geoff Simon's top North Dakota energy stories:

• Quick connects.

Operators: 

• MRO's three-rig Bailey oil field program.
• The bountiful Bailey.
• The incredible Slawson Submariner wells.
• And, here, OMG, what Slawson is doing in Big Bend.
• And, here, stronger than ever.
• Sinclair fracking with large amounts of water.

Operations:

• ND active rigs doubled year/year.
• So much work left to be done in the Bakken.
• That dreaded Bakken decline.

Wells:

• An incredible Bruin Fort Berthold well.
• An incredible Slawson Submariner Federal well.

Flaring:

• US onshore flaring at lowest level since 2012.

Fracking:

• Is Bruin doing a double frack for its FB Belford wells?

Pipelines:

• Enbridge Line 5 case back in federal court.

Bakken economy:

• Spiritwood soybean renewable diesel fuel;