Top Stories For 2022 -- IN PROGRESS

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Top Stories of 2022
By Category

Top Story Of The Year:

• Coal is the transition fuel
• irony: Germany's pivot to coal changes the dynamic
• it's not "okay" for China, India, others to turn to coal
  
• SPR release prior to midterm elections; record release; trending toward $5-gasoline; 
• US LNG export projects have made over 20 supply deals since June
  
• Almost a full year of war in Ukraine and no end in sight
• China "opens" at end of the year; will pivot to herd immunity
• Crypto crushed
  

Runner-up story of the year:

• Recession talk continues; US equity markets in bear territory
• Covid-19 in the US, as a top story, quietly goes away
• Southwest Airlines collapse during Christmas holidays; extended into New Year's
  

The Biden administration:

• Southern surge: a non-story:
• Official energy policy: no more drilling
• Three huge bills passed
• Infrastructure, make America great again (IRA)
  
• Tech ("Chips" bill)
  
• Spending
  

The world:

• China: Covid-19 disaster
• Millions to become infected;
  

Most surprising story of 2021:

• Coal is the transition fuel

The most egregious story to come out of the Bakken:

The "best call" by the blog: 

• Devon
  

The most frustrating story to come out of the Bakken: 

• Winter storms greatly affect production
• Spring, 2022
• Autumn, 2022
  

The top US story:

• Biden doing surprisingly well.
• Huge spending bill passed
• Three major bills passed
• no "red wave"
• in off-year election, POTUS' party holds the US Senate
• barely took control of the US House
  

North Dakota, energy:

• Harold Hamm takes CLR private
• Whiting - Oasis merge: Chord
  

North Dakota economy:

• 
  

North Dakota technology:

• 
  

Most exciting non-operator in the Bakken:

• NOG, as usual
  

Most exciting micro operator in the Bakken:

Most exciting small operator in the Bakken:

• 
  

Most exciting medium-size operator in the Bakken:

• Enerplus
  

Most exciting large operator in the Bakken:

• CLR
  

Most aggressive large operator in the Bakken:

• CLR

Biggest deals:

• Whiting - Oasis merge: Chord
  

Most surprising deal:

• Whiting - Oasis merge: Chord
• CLR: is taken private
  

Record price per Bakken mineral acre, 2022 (quarterly lease sales):

•  
  

Bakken operations, rigs:

• Trended toward forty-five active rigs; plateaued at 45 rigs
  

Bakken operations, production:

• Maintains third place in US but with a third of the rigs New Mexico (the #2 state) requires
  

Bakken operations, density:

• 
  

Top prediction made in 2022 for 2023:

• EVs will destroy a lot of investors, severely harm several manufacturers (unchanged from last year)
  

Record initial production:

Biggest story in takeaway capacity:

• Freeport LNG taken off line; huge drop in price of natural gas
  

CBR:

• Non-story in 2022

Pipeline:

• 
  

Fracking:

• 
  

Flaring:

• 
  

Natural gas:

• Bakken continues to set production records, month-after-month;
• 
  

Refining:

• 
  

Investment story of the year:

• Crypto crushed
• Historic Fed rate increases; much faster than expected
  

The "other" Williston Basin formations:

• Nothing.
  

Bakken economy:

New (or better-understood) oil patch jargon:

• 
  

Miscellaneous:

Bakken economy -- Williston Economic Development (WED) top ten stories: