Monday, January 23, 2012

Bakken Oil is Having Major Impact on Western ND

A meeting was held of the North Dakota Sheriffs & Deputies Association in Bismarck, and as part of this meeting we had an opportunity to sit down with law enforcement officials from western ND to discuss what they are going through with the oil impact.  Here are some oil issues from western North Dakota.  

MP: There are 35 in total, these are my "Top 12" issues facing a community where the economy is booming, the jobless rate is less than 1%, and there are bound to be some "growing pains."

1. Traffic accidents, especially fatal traffic accidents are of very high concern. At one location on Highway 85 south of Williston, a traffic count was conducted in October of 2011. In one 24-hour period there where 29,000 vehicles through the intersection, with 60% of the traffic being semi trailer trucks.

2. Traffic is typically backed up for ½ to ¾ of a mile. One person stated that he recently sat at an intersection on Highway 85 for 30 minutes waiting for an opening in the traffic to cross over.

3. Rents in Williston currently range from $2,000 for a one-bedroom apartment to $3,400 for a three-bedroom apartment.

4. Williams County allows three campers per farmstead, the farmers almost all have three campers on their property and are charging $800 per camper per month for rent.

5. The Walmart in Williston no longer stocks shelves, they bring out pallets of merchandise at night, and set them in the aisles, and customer shops from the pallets.

6. On January 1, the Williston Walmart had 148 campers overnight in their parking lot.

7. The Williston McDonalds just announced that they will pay new workers $15 an hour, a $500 immediate signing bonus and full medical benefits. 

8. The local restaurants are full and with limited staffing, they usually just have the drive through open. The restaurants that have inside seating are now experiencing an hour wait at all times.

9. The local Motel 6 in Williston now rents rooms for $130 per night.

10.  Trinity Hospital in Minot has just hired 115 nurses from the Philippines, because they cannot get enough local nurses to apply.

11. The Williston General Motors dealership has now become the No. 1 seller of Corvettes in the upper Midwest.

12.  The Williams County jail has increased bookings by 150%, with a 100% increase in the inmate population. Bonds of $5,000 to $10,000 are typically paid with cash out of pocket. The Williams County Sheriff stated that a couple of weeks ago he received a $63,000 bond in cash carried into the jail in a plastic Walmart bag.

Thanks to Steve Gorkis and Bob Anderson for sending this.  

20 Comments:

At 1/23/2012 4:51 PM, Blogger Eric H said...

#1 sounds like a revenue $afety camera dream come true...

 
At 1/23/2012 5:02 PM, Blogger scomi said...

This is really interesting. Thanks for posting. It's amazing to see what can happen in a GROWING economy.

 
At 1/23/2012 5:23 PM, Blogger bob wright said...

"Williams County allows three campers per farmstead, the farmers almost all have three campers on their property and are charging $800 per camper per month for rent."

Really?

I think the local democratic party leadership needs to form a "reasonable profits committee" and consider restricting the rent these farmers can charge.

$800 per month per camper sounds like price gouging to me.

Everyone knows windfall profits like these are immoral.

A hurricane of oil has swept across ND and these local farmers are taking advantage of innocent victims needing shelter.

 
At 1/23/2012 5:30 PM, Blogger Larry G said...

WHAT! Yet another profitable enterprise that our socialist Prez is NOT trying to run out of business!

OUTRAGE!

I think the man is slipping.

;-)

 
At 1/23/2012 5:55 PM, Blogger Benjamin Cole said...

Bob Wright-

Are you sure it is Democrats running rural governments in North Dakota? According to this website, McCain beat Obama two-to-one in Williams County.

http://www.williamsnd.com/election/2008g/all.asp#120

Why have any regulations on the number of campers per farmer lot? Why is the GOP local government placing a restriction on a farmer's right to house campers on his property?

As I said--it is local government that is often the most repressive and anti-free enterprise in the USA.

Here is a prime example--a GOP-dominated local government squashes a farmer's right to house campers on his property, and yet at Carpe Diem they are blaming Democrats.

Life is funny.

 
At 1/23/2012 6:29 PM, Blogger Paul said...

Benji,

"As I said--it is local government that is often the most repressive and anti-free enterprise in the USA."

Well, hang on, your boyfriend is rapidly closing the gap.

 
At 1/23/2012 6:34 PM, Blogger Paul said...

Larry,

"WHAT! Yet another profitable enterprise that our socialist Prez is NOT trying to run out of business!"

To the contrary,, he's coming at it indirectly, for now.

 
At 1/23/2012 6:37 PM, Blogger Larry G said...

I understand that windows, power lines and cars are next...

http://www.sibleyguides.com/conservation/causes-of-bird-mortality/

 
At 1/23/2012 6:56 PM, Blogger Benjamin Cole said...

Why isn't the IJ hounding Williams County for repressing farmers who want to lease our land to campers?

 
At 1/23/2012 7:53 PM, Blogger Che is dead said...

Paul,

When "Benji" says that he's simply relating the experience of living amongst the leftists in SoCal. Of course, local and state governments run by Democrats are going to be oppressive and anti-free enterprise. What I find interesting is that he believes that these same leftists become the paragons of constitutional liberty once he sends them to Washington D.C..

 
At 1/23/2012 8:05 PM, Blogger Benjamin Cole said...

Again-it is the local William County GOP that is stopping farmers from converting their farms into trailer parks, which would be the fast free-market solution to sky-high housing prices.

In a free market, you would see 10,000 trailers move to North Dakota in a few days.

But the local GOP does not want that.

Somehow this is Obama's fault? A local zoning problem?

 
At 1/23/2012 8:17 PM, Blogger Larry G said...

" Somehow this is Obama's fault? A local zoning problem? "

yup.. it's all part of Obama's nefarious scheme to turn us into a European Socialist Country.

...for sure....

He's actually working behind the scenes with local Republican elected to effect his evil plans.

 
At 1/23/2012 8:32 PM, Blogger Paul said...

Benji,


"But the local GOP does not want that."

You're just making that up.

"Somehow this is Obama's fault? A local zoning problem?"

What are you talking about, moron? You're the only one jumping up and down about the 3 camper rule.

 
At 1/23/2012 11:17 PM, Blogger Benjamin Cole said...

"4. Williams County allows three campers per farmstead, the farmers almost all have three campers on their property and are charging $800 per camper per month for rent."

And why does Williams County "allow" three campers per farmer?

Who runs Williams County? The five commissioners, that's who.

I hope farmers get smart and overthrow these local bums who are stopping the free market from working, or else split their farms into mini-famrs, and put three campers on each mini-farm.

State and local government: The worst enemies of free enterprise, every time.

 
At 1/24/2012 12:07 AM, Blogger Hydra said...

A major effect in north Dakota barely moves a decimal in the rest of the US.

 
At 1/24/2012 12:10 AM, Blogger Hydra said...

They are only getting $800 per month on account of the restriction to 3 campers. Get the government off peoples backs and they will earn a lot less.

 
At 1/24/2012 4:31 AM, Blogger kmg said...

Too bad North Dakota was a thinly populated place, with terrible weather and no large cities.

The Utica shale in Ohio will be a welcome boom, since that is in a region that already has been depopulating, and has too many houses, vacant roads, etc.

50,000 people moving to ND can distort things as the article states.

50,000 people moving to the Ohio valley will merely replace recent population losses, so no strain on infrastructure (quite the opposite in fact). The blight spiral will be halted.

 
At 1/24/2012 1:50 PM, Blogger Ron H. said...

"I hope farmers get smart and overthrow these local bums who are stopping the free market from working, or else split their farms into mini-famrs, and put three campers on each mini-farm."

You may be missing the fact that the "farmers" most likely requested this limit in the past to prevent farmland from becoming campgrounds. Those "local bums" have done what they were elected to do.

Those same farmers also may have previously insisted on minimum acreage restrictions to prevent such mini-farms.

Do you really think some local tyrants are making life miserable for most of their constituaets AND getting re-elected?

 
At 1/24/2012 2:16 PM, Blogger Benjamin Cole said...

Ron H-

You speak like the most demented, regulation-happy left-winger pinko ever born.

Really? Framers don't want other farmers turning their private property into trailer parks? And whose business is that?

Don't you think a farmer has a right to do what he wishes with his property?

Property rights, anyone? Pro-business, anyone?

 
At 7/12/2012 8:16 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Not only does Williams County repress Farmers, They only meet once a month to review a limit of 8 new rezoning request. I was told the reason was that more than that would take all day....can you believe that?? The Local people here don't want outsiders moving in to there slow little world, but they sure like to over charge you!!!

 

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