Video: The North Dakota Miracle
Mark Green
Posted June 19, 2012
Great video from the folks at the Heritage Foundation and the Institute for Energy Research that features real people talking about North Dakota’s energy-driven miracle. Take a look:
Some general points about North Dakota:
- State unemployment in May was 2.7 percent.
- The state’s treasury is flush with revenue, a lot of it generated by energy activity. The most recent finance report predicts $2 billion in surplus and reserves by June 30, 2013.
- In March the state passed Alaska in monthly oil production, 17.8 million barrels to 17.5 million, becoming the No. 2 producer in the country. Just six years ago it was No. 9. Thanks, Bakken Shale, and hydraulic fracturing.
Truck driver Terry Swift from the video is right: “This is the American way. If you can still put your boots on in the morning and go to work, you do it. You provide, and there’s a lot of people doing just that.”
Energy is the catalyst. With the right vision and policies, American-made energy that is generating North Dakota’s miracle – jobs, economic opportunity, tax revenues – can produce more miracles elsewhere.
About The Author
Mark Green joined API after a career in newspaper journalism, including 16 years as national editorial writer for The Oklahoman in the paper’s Washington bureau. Previously, Mark was a reporter, copy editor and sports editor at an assortment of newspapers. He earned his journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and master’s in journalism and public affairs from American University. He and his wife Pamela have two grown children and six grandchildren.