Texas College Football -- Wow, What A Treat -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49566TEXASFOOTBALL. 

#3 Texas A&M vs #16 Texas -- televised two different streaming options -- a traditional airing/coverage (no network broadcast coverage) or coverage with conventional airing / coverage. It's fun to switch between the two; not sure which I prefer. 

#3 is fighting for its life against #20. Playing at Texas, in Austin. 20 (Texas) - 10 (Aggies) early in fourth quarter; Texas has the momentum and now it has the ball again.  

In the NFL, a #3 team would easily re-group and end up beating a #16 team. But this is college football between two huge rivals. No way to predict how this turns out. 

I spent a lot of time with ChatGPT today talking about NFL football and how it truly resembles chess. Professional football is chess with a clock. For NFL coaches, it's all about time-management; for spectators like me, it's all about yardage. At the college level, the players are transitioning between focus on time and focus on yards. 

With a focus on yards, an incomplete pass is "bad." With a focus on time, an incomplete pass is often "good." 

With 9 minutes left, all of a sudden, it's 20 (Texas) -17 (Aggies). I honestly don't know which team to root for. 

Wow, wow, wow -- 26 (Texas ) - 17 (Aggies) with seven minutes left in the game. So, we're back where we're started but all of a sudden, half the time remaining.  

There it is. Second interception by Texas. Arch Manning and Texas wins by ten points, 27 - 17. Tough, tough, tough loss for Texas A&M. Wow. A&M lost its chance to be in bowl championship. Texas will argue it deserves to move on but probably won't win that argument. 

*****************************
A Musical Interlude

Link here. 

It Seems This Should Get More Coverage -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49565APPLE. 

Link here. 

Alison Ritter's Quick Connects -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49564QUICKCONNECTS. 

Alison's quick connects:

• Hennen: North Dakota can become the North American capital of compute -- InForum

• North Dakota natural gas daily production reaches all-time high in Sept -- Minot Daily News

• State could see construction of its first utility-scale solar farm in 2026 -- Minot Daily News

• Oil and gas prices hold steady for another month, but frac crew numbers fall -- KFYR-TV

• Electrical outage causes hundreds of barrels of produced water to spill northeast of Medora -- KX News

• Divide County experiences another increase in oil and gas production in September -- The Journal

• Senate reversal of Biden policy that blocked Wyoming coal mining heads to Trump -- Bismarck Tribune

• LEC Jonathan Fortner: Giving thanks for the lignite coal power that keeps North Dakota going -- InForum

• Cerilon gas refining project gets loan extension from North Dakota energy board -- Bismarck Tribune

• State investing $7M in Grand Farm to promote research on autonomous agriculture -- North Dakota Monitor

• Bank of North Dakota commits $400 million 'lifeline' to state's agricultural producers -- North Dakota Monitor

• Governor Kelly Armstrong is set to visit Standing Rock leaders with goal 'to find action items' -- KX News

• Rare T. rex found in North Dakota; mammoth fossil digs 'significant' for research -- North Dakota Monitor

• North Dakota's Indigenous community shares its art and culture at Capitol showcase -- North Dakota Monitor

• North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Crothers notifies Armstrong of retirement date -- Office of the Governor

• Pre-holiday storm moves into North Dakota with no travel advisory issued in northwest -- Bismarck Tribune

• Registration opens for 2026 North Dakota Transportation Conference set for March 10-11 -- KX News

• Mandan Republican Keith Boehm announces launch of Senate reelection campaign -- Bismarck Tribune

• Reconstructed scenic loop opens grand views at Theodore Roosevelt National Park -- Bismarck Tribune

• Budget hole: McKenzie County transfers $300,000 to shore up E911 services -- McKenzie County Farmer

• Williston's annual community Christmas tree lighting ceremony will take place on Black Friday -- KFYR-TV

• Dickinson Rural Fire Department misses out on $640K due to missed budget deadline -- Dickinson Press

• State investing heavily in its tourism infrastructure and rural communities -- McKenzie County Farmer

• McKenzie commissioners vote to immediately implement soft hiring freeze -- McKenzie County Farmer

• North Dakota's new school superintendent Levi Bachmeier to tour every district in the state -- KX News

• 'It's all about the seniors': Minot elementary students craft Christmas cards for senior citizens -- KFYR-TV

• 12-member committee named to lead search for next Bismarck State College president -- Bismarck Tribune

• Glenburn Public Schools buys new playground following student coin drive, booster club effort -- KFYR-TV

• Stanley High School forensics class goes to court, students participate in mock trials -- ND Court System

• Ray Public School tweaking policy language to clarify open enrollment restrictions -- The Journal

• Universal school lunch could achieve a broader tax base with smaller, more efficient government -- InForum

• Ballot measure effort seeks to provide free school meals to North Dakota students -- North Dakota Monitor

• Turtle Mountain College receives $22 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott -- Minot Daily News

• Former State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler sworn in for her new role in Trump administration -- KFYR-TV

• MHA Nation and Killdeer High join for first-ever assembly highlighting indigenous culture -- Dickinson Press

• Energy Information Administration projecting bear market for oil prices; fuel prices could stay low -- KFYR-TV

• Nuclear reactor developer X-energy secures $700 million to finance expansion of US projects -- Reuters

• China is launching a global cooperation initiative on green minerals with developing nations -- Oil Price

• Trump administration restructures DOE, dropping clean-energy offices in favor of hydrocarbons -- World Oil

• 2025 elections showed us that energy matters to voters ahead of next year's mid-term -- RealClearEnergy

• US Supreme Court to weigh in on "climate lawfare," consider disputes over jurisdiction -- Washington Times

• Coal-fired plants kept online to power artificial intelligence as Trump rolls back pollution rules -- E&E News

• States, Native American tribes and federal programs to share $14.6B from energy revenues -- E&E News

• China's LNG imports fall for thirteenth straight month as domestic output, pipeline imports surge -- Oil Price

• Trump's Department of Energy just nuked Biden's wasteful climate bureaucracy into oblivion -- RedState

• A sobering reality: Fossil fuel demand continues to rise as "green energy transition" stalls -- NoTricksZone

• Climate apocalypse crumbles, COP30 flops, activists cry mercy, fossil fuels thrive -- Manhattan Contrarian

• Building out the grid on solar power is 10 times more expensive than gas, wind 7x more -- RealClearEnergy

******************************
US-85

To be widened to four lanes, from Long X Bridge south of Watford City, ND, to ND Highway 200, south of Watford City, at the cutoff to Killdeer, ND, probably encompassing the most prolific area of the Bakken.

A Family Member Asked: Which iPad Would You Recommend? November 28, 2025

Locator: 49563IPADS.

iPad recommendation.

 

First decision / choice: small or big? 11-inch or 13-inch.

Five-year-old hands, 11-inch. No question.

Adult hands: 13-inch. But some adults prefer 11-inch, not because of hand-size, but how and where they will be using it.

The 11-inch is like a giant iPhone. Really giant.

The 13-inch is like a .... well, a giant iPad. 

But if you don't know size you want, you need to physically hold each to know what you want. 

Me? I would only take the 13-inch for myself. 

For five-year-old grandsons, I got them the 11-inch which they love.

*****************
13-inch

iPad Pro (new) or iPad Air

Go to this link and scroll down, comparing each model line-by-line: https://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/?modelList=ipad-pro-13-m5,ipad-air-13-m3.

Only three major differences that I would think about:  

• chip: M3 vs M5. 
• both do the very same thing; the M5 might be faster but unless you do a lot of gaming, etc, you won't notice. 
• you don’t need the M5 chip. The M3 is practically brand new and is optimized for AI, as is the entire “M” line of chips.
• price difference. Significant.
• the Pro starts at $1,299. The Air starts at $799 
• [The smaller 11-inch Air starts at $600. At Amazon, an incredible, $499. Can't be beat if one wants a smaller iPad.]
• Touch ID and Face ID. 
• the less expensive Air doesn’t have Face ID; it has Touch ID.

Amazon:

• At Amazon, the 13-inch iPad Air, 128GB is selling for $649.
• At Amazon, the 13-inch iPad Air, 256 GB is an overall pick and is selling for $749. 
• At Amazon, the 13-inch iPad Pro is ALSO an overall pick and is selling for $1,099.

I prefer Face ID but for $450 less, I can go with Touch ID.

So, with the iPad Air, one gets a "better bang for the dollar,” but if money is no object, iPad Pro might be the way to go, but even if money is no object, I still can't get past getting the iPad AIR. Although that's a close call. But the 256GB for the Pro is very, very enticing vs 128GB for the Air in the starting (least expensive) configuration. 

Don’t get cellular. You can connect on wi-fi almost anywhere these days, and you can always use your iPhone as a hotspot.

Bottom line:

• for your needs, assuming you are price conscious, I would recommend the iPad Air, basic configuration, 128GB. If you don't like it, I will buy it from you and you can upgrade to the iPad Pro. 
• for a bit more money, $100 extra at Amazon, the 256GB iPad, M3, 13-inch is the better buy if you are willing to jump from an incredible $649 to a still-pretty-good $749 price.
• if price is no object, then the 13-inch iPad Pro which starts with the 256GB so you don't need to add more.  

******************
Family Member Replies

I want it for international travel/tourism, more than just my iPhone but less than a computer.

My reply: 

That’s a tough one. For travels, you might prefer the 11-inch — but then get the 256BG version ($549) at Amazon. That is also an overall pick per Amazon. 

Then, I changed that to: 

Actually, that’s not a tough one. For travels, I would get myself the 13-inch because I’m used to carrying a bigger iPad / computer in my backpack, but you would probably prefer the 11-inch for travels. It will be way, way better than the iPhone. Just the photos and video would be amazing.

11-inch iPad Air but size up to 256BG. 

*********************** 

So, What Happened To Molly? -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49562MOLLY.

This is another Bill Belichick-Tom Brady story: the Stephen A -- Molly story.  

Tag: Stephen A Smith Molly Qerim ESPN ABC Iger

The blurb above doesn't even begin to get into this story, perhaps the biggest story in sports-talk in quite some time. 

Link here. 

********************
Other Media Notes

What An Amazing Way To Close Out November -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49561INVESTING.

The small print:

• What an amazing jump in the last hour of trading.
• Market closes early, Friday after Thanksgiving.
• Huge jump at the close.
• FOMO, YOLO, MOJO — a trifecta.
• November 28, 2025

This Is A Breaking Story -- But Is Apple Buying Chips / Going To Buy Chips From Intel? -- Holy Mackerel! If True! -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49560AAPL.
Locator: 49560INTC.

Tag: Apple Intel  

Quick! What does Google Gemini have to say?

This is absolutely fascinating!

There are so many story lines here! So many story lines!  

Apple is playing 3-D chess. 

A Closer Look At Dell Today -- Dell-Micron -- Dell: Micron Inside -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49559MU.

Intel: a note before we get started -- wow, Intel is doing well. A reader wrote to tell me many months ago that when Trump "backed" Intel, when Intel was trading in the $20 range, said Intel would eventually trade for $40. Wow. I learn a lot from my readers. 

Now back to Dell and Micron. 

I have no position in Dell, never have, and never will. But Dell and Micron are in the same headlines today, and I'm much more invested in Micron than I thought I would ever be.

**********************************DisclaimerBrief Reminder 

Briefly:

• I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken and I am often well out front of my headlights. I am often appropriately accused of hyperbole when it comes to the Bakken.
• I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market.
• I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 
• See disclaimer. This is not an investment site. 
• Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here. 
• All my posts are done quickly: there will be content and typographical errors. If something appears wrong, it probably is. Feel free to fact check everything.
• If anything on any of my posts is important to you, go to the source. If/when I find typographical / content errors, I will correct them. 
• Many posts are not proofread for several days after they've been posted.  
• Reminder: I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken, US economy, and the US market.
• I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 
• And now, Nvidia, also. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Nvidia. Nvidia is a metonym for AI and/or the sixth industrial revolution.
• I've now added Broadcom to the disclaimer. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Broadcom.
• And Oracle. 
• Longer version here.

*****************************
Dell

So, before looking at Micron today, I wanted to take a closer look at Dell.

Google "Dell": this pops up -- 

 ***************************
Dell / Micron

Link here. 

From the linked article:

Dell Technologies is one of the world’s biggest makers of personal computers. It’s also a major player in servers used in data networks, and that means it’s one of the big beneficiaries from surging artificial intelligence spending. On November 25, the strength associated with AI was on full display when Dell released its third-quarter results, showing that server demand for AI surged, fueling sales and driving orders higher.

Most Unusual Tweet Of The Week -- Phoenix Technology Services -- This Is NOT North Dakota's Phoenix Operating -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49558PHX.

Nothing in the Bakken perplexes me as much as Phoenix Operating LLC but that company right now is the most exciting / most interesting operator. See this post, top producers in the Bakken, this year. 

However, the "tweet" below has to do with Phoenix Technology Services, a Canadian company, publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, I believe, that provides drilling serves for operators. It is NOT Phoenix Operating LLC that is getting so much of my attention in the Bakken. 

[A huge "thank you" to a reader who made sure I knew what I was talking about. I didn't. Now, I do. I hope.] 

Link here. 

I honestly don't know what to make of this tweet. But the graphics are amazing. Again, this is not the Phoenix Operating most folks might know, but rather Phoenix Technology Services, out of Canada, that is an oil well drilling company.

Maybe more on this later.

Last Day Of The Month -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49557B.

Market: an exciting end to the week. The market closes early today. 

Chart of the day: Micron. Five year:

******************************
Back to the Bakken

WTI:

New wells reporting:

Monday, December 1, 2025: 1 for the month, 124 for the quarter, 708 for the year,
41327, conf, Hess, EN-Rice-155-94-1102H-5, 

Sunday, November 30, 2025: 65 for the month, 123 for the quarter, 707 for the year,
41700, conf, Marlo Operating, TOSCO Branch 4, 
41663, conf, Petro-Hunt, Lee 158-4-15A-27-1HS, 
41328, conf, Hess, EN-Rice-155-94-1102H-4, 
41243, conf, Hess, GO-Vinger-156-98-2116H-7, 
41024, conf, CLR, Berlain 6-30H, 
40558, conf, Hess, GO-Bergstrom-156-98-2833H-6, 
36700, conf, BR, Muri 2A-MBH,

Saturday, November 29, 2025: 58 for the month, 116 for the quarter, 700 for the year,
41530, conf, CLR, Garfield Federal 8-5H, 

Friday, November 28, 2025: 57 for the month, 115 for the quarter, 699 for the year,
41415, conf, Slawson, Atlas 2-21-16H, 
41224, conf, Phoenix Operating, Marshall 14-23 2H, 
40826, conf, CLR, Bjarne 6-29H,
36699, conf, BR, Muri 1A-MBH, 

Yesterday: Thursday, November 27, 2025: 53 for the month, 111 for the quarter, 695 for the year, 

• 41813, A/F, CLR, Stoltenberg 2-4HSL, Corinth, 15,800 bbls over 18 days extrapolates to 26,333 bbls over 30 days:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	9-2025	18	15811	15198	80201	17074	3662	13412
BAKKEN	8-2025	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

• 41226, A/F, Phoenix Operating, Marshall 14-23 4H, Murphy Creek, 

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	9-2025	30	8465	8455	58525	4111	4003	108
BAKKEN	8-2025	31	10125	10129	67146	5077	5054	23
BAKKEN	7-2025	29	10929	10977	67985	5726	5640	86
BAKKEN	6-2025	30	13862	13684	78047	8818	535	8283
BAKKEN	5-2025	4	1329	1284	8048	7551	0	7551

• 41225, A/F, Phoenix Operating, Marshall 14-23 3H, Murphy Creek, 

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	9-2025	30	9523	9532	68013	4585	4465	120
BAKKEN	8-2025	31	12564	12537	77368	6032	6004	28
BAKKEN	7-2025	30	11543	11617	66893	5803	5716	87
BAKKEN	6-2025	30	16110	15893	92293	10408	632	9776
BAKKEN	5-2025	5	1215	1173	10153	6604	0	6604

• 41223, A/F, Phoenix Operating, Marshall 14-23 1H, Murphy Creek, 

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	9-2025	30	10266	10242	55573	5332	5192	140
BAKKEN	8-2025	31	11514	11516	62186	5861	5835	26
BAKKEN	7-2025	30	12295	12338	63720	6350	6255	95
BAKKEN	6-2025	30	14928	14703	85497	9876	599	9277
BAKKEN	5-2025	4	443	428	6778	7769	0	7769

RBN Energy: angst over EU's methane regulations heats up as phase-in period looms. Link here. Archived here.

For months, the Trump administration and energy industry groups have been pressing the European Union (EU) to either scrap or significantly ease its regulations on methane emissions.

They assert the methane monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) requirements, set to ratchet up in 2027, 2028 and 2030, would be impossible for U.S. natural gas producers to meet and result in a sharp decline in — or even an end to — U.S. LNG flows to the EU. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the controversy and how we think it’s likely to be resolved.

Refined Products Projects Out West Will Impact Markets in Several PADDs -- RBN Energy -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49556PIPELINES.

This was the second part of the "encore" edition RBN Energy posted yesterday, Thanksgiving Day.

Link here. Archived.

HF Sinclair joined the fray on October 29 with an announcement that it is evaluating a multi-phased expansion of its refined products pipeline network across parts of PADD 4 (Rockies) and PADD 5 (West Coast) that would allow up to 150 Mb/d of incremental product to flow into various markets. “The initiative is designed to address the increasing supply and demand imbalances in key Western markets, particularly Nevada and multiple markets in California, resulting from announced refinery closures on the West Coast,” the refining-and-midstream company said in a statement. HF Sinclair said its geographic footprint and infrastructure “provide an advantaged position to quickly and efficiently deliver refined products where the market needs are strongest.”

The first phase of the plan would include expanding the Pioneer Pipeline (red line in Figure 3 below) — jointly owned by HF Sinclair and Phillips 66 (and now running at or near capacity) — from Sinclair, WY, to Salt Lake City and debottlenecking HF Sinclair’s wholly owned UNEV Pipeline (magenta line) from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. That project, targeted for a final investment decision (FID) in mid-2026 and completion in 2028, would allow about 35 Mb/d of additional Rockies-sourced supply to move into Nevada. Additional phases under evaluation would, if ultimately approved:

• Expand and reverse the flow on HF Sinclair’s Medicine Bow Pipeline (dark-red line) between Denver and Sinclair so it runs west, not east.
• Add still more capacity to the Pioneer Pipeline from Sinclair to Salt Lake City and the UNEV Pipeline from Salt Lake to Las Vegas.
• Build a new pipeline lateral from Salt Lake City to Reno, NV (dashed purple line).

Figure 3. Selected HF Sinclair Refinery and Pipeline Assets. Source: RBN

During HF Sinclair’s Q3 earnings call on October 30, CEO Timothy Go said he sees the proposed pipeline projects to be “complementary to the two other pipelines that were announced.” He said the ONEOK and Phillips 66/Kinder Morgan plans involve PADD 2 and PADD 3 barrels being piped west to “the south area” in Phoenix and beyond, while HF Sinclair is “really talking Rockies barrels going in on the northern side into Nevada.” He added that his company’s projects would mostly involve “equity barrels” from HF Sinclair (and possibly Phillips 66) “as opposed to open-season, third-party barrels,” and that only a small element of the plan — the lateral from Salt Lake City to Reno — would be a greenfield pipeline. (Reno currently receives refined products from the Bay Area via Kinder Morgan’s North Pipeline, but flows on that pipe may be impacted by the impending closure of Valero’s 150-Mb/d Benicia refinery northeast of San Francisco.)

Asked about the rationale for reversing the company’s Medicine Bow Pipeline (aka MedBow) so it flows west from Denver, HF Sinclair EVP-Commercial Steve Ledbetter said that new pipeline capacity from PADD 2 to Denver — ONEOK’s planned 230-Mb/d refined products pipeline from Scott City, KS, to Denver, slated to come online in mid-2026 — will “pull barrels out of the Midcon” (including some from HF Sinclair’s El Dorado refinery in Kansas) and reduce the value of refined products now being piped into Denver from the company’s Sinclair refinery on MedBow. Over time, he said, it may well make economic sense not only to reverse MedBow but to expand it so more HF Sinclair equity barrels from El Dorado can move “into PADD 5, both Nevada and eventually into California.” (We think it’s possible HF Sinclair will make MedBow bidirectional to maximize its flexibility.)

During ONEOK’s October 29 earnings call, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer Sheridan Swords said customer interest in the company’s Sun Belt Connector from El Paso to Phoenix is driven by the fact that ONEOK’s pipeline system east of El Paso is “already connected not only to all the Midcon refiners ... but we also have extensive connectivity into the refining center on the Gulf Coast.”

Phillips 66, in turn, touted the Western Gateway project’s ability to transport price-advantaged barrels from the company’s Midcon and Texas Panhandle refineries to Arizona and Southern California. EVP Brian Mandell added this: “The way I think about it is, PADD 5 is going to look very similar to PADD 1” — the East Coast — “where you have a short market, you have a pipeline that brings in domestic volumes like Colonial does to PADD 1, and then you have barrels coming in from overseas.” He noted that, with more refinery retirements in California, he expects the Golden State will need both piped-in and waterborne barrels.

Other midstreamers with extensive refined products pipeline networks also are being asked about these developments. For example, during Enterprise Products Partners’ October 30 earnings call, an analyst wondered whether HF Sinclair’s plan could lead to better utilization of — and new marketing opportunities for — Enterprise’s new Texas Western (TW) refined products pipeline system from the Houston area to Grand Junction, UT, which was completed a year ago. Justin Kleiderer, the company’s SVP for pipelines and terminals, said, “We’ll hang our hat on two things with respect to the system. One is we run a unique corridor pretty much direct to Salt Lake (City), and to the extent that Salt Lake gets net shorter as a result of (the HF Sinclair) projects, then we'd stand to be the beneficiary.”

He added, finally, “If you zoom out to our overall product system, both our TW system and our legacy TE system benefit from Midcontinent pricing being at a premium to the Gulf. And really all three of these projects that have been announced” — Sun Belt Connector, Western Gateway and HF Sinclair’s — “do some degree of that. So, our overall product system will benefit if any of them go (forward). Again, early days, we'll have to see how it plays out.”

Refined Products Projects Out West Will Impact Markets in Several PADDs -- RBN Energy -- November 28, 2025

Locator: 49555PIPELINES.

This was the first part of the "encore" edition RBN Energy posted yesterday, Thanksgiving Day.

Link here. Archived.

A few days ago, HF Sinclair joined ONEOK, Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan in planning pipeline projects to move more refined products to Western markets. It’s too soon to say how many of these projects will come to fruition, but what’s certain is that the efforts to transport large volumes of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel west from PADDs 2, 3 and 4 will significantly impact refinery economics across vast swaths of the U.S. In today’s RBN blog, we‘ll discuss the pipeline projects being proposed and how they will affect market dynamics. 

Blogging about the latest plan to build a new refined products pipeline — or expand existing pipes — across the deserts of the West has become a regular thing for us in the past couple of months. First, there was ONEOK’s proposed Sun Belt Connector, a 24-inch-diameter greenfield pipeline (dashed orange arrow in Figure 1 below) that would run from El Paso, TX, to the Phoenix area and be connected to the company’s existing refined products pipeline system across Texas and Oklahoma (blue lines and yellow tank icons). The new pipe, which would come online by mid-2029, would have an initial capacity of 200 Mb/d but that could be increased significantly if demand warrants.

Figure 1. ONEOK’s Proposed Sun Belt Connector. Source: RBN

A few weeks later, Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan said they had jointly initiated a binding open season for their proposed Western Gateway Pipeline that will end on December 19. If all goes to plan, the new system will be up and running by 2029. Western Gateway would consist of a new, ~800-mile, 20-inch pipeline (dashed dark-orange line in Figure 2 below) from Borger, TX, to Phoenix and Kinder Morgan’s 515-mile, 20-inch West Line (solid dark-orange line, part of the SFPP system) between Phoenix and Colton, CA, whose current west-to-east flow direction would be reversed. The Borger-to-El-Paso leg of the new pipeline would be along a new right of way, while the El-Paso-to-Phoenix run would utilize portions of the right of way for the 16- and 12-inch pipelines that comprise the SFPP’s East Line. (Those pipes — light-orange and yellow lines west of El Paso — would become part of the joint venture but are not included in the Western Gateway open season.)

Figure 2. Phillips 66’s and Kinder Morgan’s Proposed Western Gateway Pipeline. Source: RBN

Western Gateway would be fed from supplies connected to Borger as well as supplies already feeding the East Line. The Phillips 66-operated Gold Pipeline (gold line), which currently flows from Borger to St. Louis, also would be reversed to enable refined products from Midcontinent refineries such as the Ponca City facility in Oklahoma and the Wood River facility in Roxana, IL, to flow toward Borger, where yet another Phillips 66 refinery is located. (Phillips 66 held only 50% ownership interests in the Wood River and Borger refineries until early October, when it closed on the previously announced purchase of Cenovus Energy’s half-stakes in the refineries for $1.4 billion.)