Bakken crude strengthened against domestic benchmark West Texas Intermediate as frigid temperatures and precipitation in North Dakota limited output. State production has likely been “not so great” in December after a strong November and a record in October, said Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Mineral Resources Department, on a Dec. 13 conference call. “December has been anything but nice, with arctic temperatures, icy roads and snowfall almost every day,” Helms said on the call. Bakken oil delivered in Clearbrook, Minnesota , was $8 a barrel cheaper than WTI at 3:47 p.m. in New York, compared with $9.50 yesterday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Bakken’s discount has been cut in half since Nov. 7 and 8, when it reached $16 a barrel, the widest level of 2013. It has averaged about $5 this year. Prices will probably stay soft for much of 2014, Helms said, explaining that […]