
North Dakota oil boom: American Dream on ice - goatforce5
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25983917
======
josefresco
Every article I read about this topic focuses on 3 things; strippers, housing
shortages and ..strippers (I'm only half joking). I get the idea of writing an
article that will attract clicks and views but I'd like to read more articles
that focus on _why_ we're drilling for gas here and what it means for the
country in the long term.

Boom towns are full of all kinds of awful, I would imagine many similar
articles were written about the gold rush and other mass movements of workers
but that situation is only temporary and in the grand scheme of things not
very important.

Does America want to be an energy producer? If not are we willing to do
business with countries that do, that might also have problems with Americans?
Also, ss this the kind of energy America wants to produce?

To me it boils down to national security (or _terrorism_ if you must) and
prices. Having the security of energy in your backyard comes with tradeoffs.
I'm not sure what the right answer is, but could we all stop focusing on the
strip clubs and instead look at the bigger picture?

~~~
cwal37
Alternately, we are more secure as a nation state because oil is a global
market. Then, as countries become more reliant on each other for crude,
revenue, and finished petroleum products they are less likely to upset the
balance. Additionally, in 2012, we imported ~40% of our oil (lowest it's been
in a long time), and our biggest import country, by far, is Canada. Here's an
EIA link:
[http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=727&t=6](http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=727&t=6)

Terrorism can be a problem of course, but I would be more concerned about the
grid than our access to oil.

~~~
josefresco
"countries become more reliant on each other for crude"

If the country that is selling you oil/energy is doing _bad things_ this
reliant nature of our relationship also ties our hands when it comes to
calling them on their shit. See the Ukraine or pretty much any geo-political
matter.

Isolationism isn't the only solution, but inter-dependance has it's own
drawbacks.

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mkautzm
Yeah, I live very, very close to that area. If I go more than 30 miles West, I
run into that shithole that is 'The American Dream'.

If it was within my power to turn back the clock and make the calls that
needed to be made at the time, I'd have never let that boom start.

To say that the northwestern third of North Dakota has been destroyed is an
understatement; It brings me to tears just thinking about it.

~~~
forgingahead
Exactly how do you heat your house, and how much do you pay for that bill?

~~~
mkautzm
I live in an apartment building in which heat is payed, so I can't be a data
point there.

I'm 90% sure it's electric (As opposed to gas, which is quite common in the
area, especially the more rural areas).

My sister however does live in an area where gas is common and they have a
1,000 gallon tank for it. It costs them about 4 times what they normally paid
for it. What the cost is exactly, I'm not sure. I know it used to be cheap and
what what it is now is really expensive.

~~~
lou2ser
Anyone else hear a WHOOSH sound?

~~~
mkautzm
I'm a little dense in the morning :)

That said, nearly every kilowatt of power that is actually sourced to ND is
coal or hydro.

Also, I'm willing to pay for the cost of advancement away from oil. If my
energy bill doubles because the majority of my power is wind, solar, hydro
with support from nuclear and gas, then so be it. If I have to pay 6 dollars a
gallon to keep the boom away from my home, it's a price I'd gladly pay.

I don't make insane money. I pull in about $44k in a place where a mid-range
apartment costs $1,000 / month to rent. I'm not swimming in cash, but I'll
make it all work if I can have the home I knew when I was a teenager back.

------
protomyth
I'm getting a little sick of the stripper articles. Can we please get an
article talking about why the housing is still not adequate. It has mostly to
do with sewage and not a lot of innovation in housing. If there ever was a
place to experiment with rapid or innovative housing methods, its ND.

I went out to western North Dakota a couple weeks ago. I've been in Chicago
during rush hour, but I've never experienced that type of traffic. It was
unreal.

Williston has always been a sh __hole. I am getting a little sick of the "oh,
it was such a nice town". I lived in a small town near there in the late 70's
and it always had a dark side.

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davidw
For a different view:

[http://www.economist.com/news/christmas-
specials/21591748-th...](http://www.economist.com/news/christmas-
specials/21591748-theres-gold-them-there-wells)

~~~
joshuahedlund
> The sudden abundance of natural gas has drastically reduced American energy
> bills while curbing greenhouse-gas emissions, since gas is cleaner than
> coal.

This is the key point worth acknowledging, in my opinion. It's difficult to
maintain a balanced perspective when sources like these emphasize almost
entirely positive effects and sources like OP emphasize almost entirely
negative effects.

~~~
dluftdfreheit
Lets be clear: Burning natural gas (CH4) still puts carbon into the
atmosphere. It's true that natural gas put less "black carbon" and other
things into the atmosphere. It's much more clean than coal. But it will still
enhance the greenhouse effect that is warming the planet. It is still a fossil
fuel.

~~~
showerst
If it's used as a drop-in replacement for dirtier sources, and doesn't stop
any cleaner sources from being developed or used, isn't it a strict win?

Maybe switching to a somewhat cleaner source would slow down movement towards
green sources, but it seems like using CH4 is an overall win given what it's a
substitute for.

~~~
toomuchtodo
Coal->Natuaral Gas? Good.

Natural Gas being deployed instead of solar or wind? Bad.

Natural Gas being deployed along side solar and wind? Best case.

One day the price of natural gas is going to rise again and people are going
to be stuck with combined cycle natgas generators that are too expensive to
run.

~~~
protomyth
I wouldn't mind wind if we started protecting the birds. I'm fond of solar,
but until wind power is less destructive, I don't see why we should deploy it
anywhere but off the coasts.

~~~
toomuchtodo
Cats kill more birds every year than wind turbines:
[http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-06/u-s-eases-
turbine-b...](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-06/u-s-eases-turbine-bird-
death-rule-as-cats-kill-millions.html)

~~~
protomyth
Cats don't kill eagles, hawks, and geese.

~~~
dllthomas
Citation needed.

~~~
protomyth
Really? How many friggin house cats can kill eagles? Hawks? Hell, a goose can
damn near kill a human much less a cat. How about you find a cite for super
cat the eagle slayer.

~~~
dllthomas
I've seen a cat take a small hawk. Eagles, probably not, but I've been
surprised before.

~~~
protomyth
That's got to be a damn big, atypical cat. Eagles take out foxes. Wind energy
needs to address the problem it causes because it sure isn't good for the
birds.

~~~
dllthomas
Raptors typically pounce on prey and kill it quickly. A bird on the ground
(eating, say) that is surprised is far less lethal than a bird attacking. Like
I said, though, probably not eagles.

~~~
protomyth
I don't think you can find one bit of statistical evidence that cats kill more
hawks than windmills. Windmills should be limited to places with no birds or
be redesigned to not kill off the birds. Put them offshore.

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my_name_is
I'm probably one of the very few in this community that has actually worked in
Williston. Worked for the largest (worldwide) upstream service company for a
couple years. I didn't see myself working in the industry while attending
school, but I graduated at a bad time, job market wise. It was really
interesting work, got to understand the industry better than most people who
just read superficial information, and it paid off the student loads in little
over a year. It probably would have required less if I didn't freely spend the
money on toys and party (Work hard, party hard is the industry motto).

Williston is what I would consider to be the Wild West. Instead of horses,
everyone has trucks. Heck, I had a company truck as well. And it is dirty.
People always have a mouthful of chew. Last time I worked out there (2011),
housing was expensive and in shortage. The major players at the time were in
the process of building up man camps to circumvent this. For those who are
unfortunate in not finding a place, you would sleep in a truck. There was this
shower service that was started up this entrepreneurial kid; trailers that
were outfitted with private shower stalls that were charged by an hour. It's
definitely different than the pampered lifestyle one is used to.

Reading from the comments, some people have talked down the blue collar
workers that work in this industry. Yes, they may not hold the same education
as many of us, but they are some of the most down-to-earth, dependable, hard
working people I have met. They are definitely more "real" than many of the
people I've met in the city. This is the type of industry where you have to go
in and prove yourself out of greenhorn status. Once you do that, you earn
yourself great coworkers and friends. Otherwise you are going to have a bad
time. You also need a thick skin and able to dish back, since this is the oil
patch after all.

The two things that were good about Williston: Walmart (I know, I didn't
appreciate Walmart unti l I lived in the inner West states. They are your only
and best option you have) and the 24-hour diner nearby it.

~~~
mkautzm
> but they are some of the most down-to-earth, dependable, hard working people
> I have met. They are definitely more "real" than many of the people I've met
> in the city.

They also have managed to bring in a crime problem that didn't previously
exist. As 'real' as they people may be, there is a larger portion of them that
are prone to committing felonies it seems. That's the problem people have with
them.

And it's not a function of population either. Looking at Fargo, Metro area
population 220k~, we see a crime rate significantly lower than that of
Williston and even Dickinson.

~~~
my_name_is
I am just giving an account of my experience. The company I worked for is
proactive in screening hirees and current employees, so I've been surrounded
by law-abiding individuals. Although what you say has truth to it, since it
isn't hard to notice the troublemakers. One of the main issues, I think, is
that there isn't much to do in these towns after a long day out in the field
(You can work an insane amount of hours). Pretty much the only option of
entertainment is going out to drink or.... strip clubs.

As for me, I used my downtime to rest up and count the days that I am rotated
out of Williston.

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arethuza
Slightly off topic, but here's a link to a museum site about what was probably
the world's first shale oil boom - 160 years ago:

[http://www.scottishshale.co.uk/](http://www.scottishshale.co.uk/)

------
applecore
Another perspective:

[http://www.buzzfeed.com/susanelizabethshepard/wildcatting-a-...](http://www.buzzfeed.com/susanelizabethshepard/wildcatting-
a-strippers-guide-to-the-modern-american-boomtow)

------
AnotherDesigner
I lived close to that area for a while and know people that have moved to
North Dakota to work. They're coming right out of high school and immediately
making tons of money. A lot of it is wasted on motorcycles, TVs, trucks,
alcohol and drugs. The work itself can be very hard, taking a toll on even the
youngest and strongest of them. It's put a strain on a lot of marriages as
husbands have moved away to work leaving their wives and children behind in
communities that can provide decent homes, schools and safety.

It's a difficult situation for me because I know a lot of people that rely on
this work to support themselves and their families. Without oil, gas and coal
many of these communities would collapse. At the same time, I know the effect
this has on the environment and I support us moving towards cleaner, renewable
energy sources. I don't have a solution for any of this, just a lot of empathy
for everyone involved.

~~~
mkautzm
Really quick here --

Most of the communities that existed before the oil boom would have been fine
without it. Some small towns were slowly dying, but the major players and what
was effectively their suburbs (South Heart's relationship with Dickinson for
example) left the region stable.

For those that were slowly circling the drain of death, they've been handed a
fate even worse.

------
transfire
If that's all that's left of the "American Dream" then America has gone
straight to hell. Hell, it even looks it.

~~~
tsax
Yes, heaven forbid some beefy blue collar workers make an honest living
extracting useful resources from the ground. No, let's all become Warby Parker
wearing hipster app-developers in Brooklyn and SF.

~~~
Dirlewanger
This place is one of the worst on the Internet for discussing anything
social/cultural outside of the relatively puny start-up world.

------
happyscrappy
"With no college degree and little experience, it's possible to land a job
with a six-figure salary"

~~~
protomyth
To make real money without a college education, you need vocational training
or a CDL (commercial drivers license).

Or provide one of the other services (food, entertainment) well.

~~~
TheCapn
These companies are desperate. They'll pay for anyone to get the training if
they're able bodied.

