I have to admit, this truly surprised me.

I’m still leary of Barack Obama, but I’m glad he’s seeing the Bakken oil formation as an important resource for helping fill national energy needs.  On the energy front, North Dakota does have a lot to offer–great wind energy potential, vast coal resources, and a great interest in biofuels (including ethanol).

As long as it’s economically feasible, tapping into the Bakken formation while we research and develop things like affordable mass cellulosic ethanol or wind energy transmission makes a lot of sense.

Obama is very right about one thing:  the oil boom in North Dakota right now is very important for our local economy.  And it’s always nice when North Dakota gets recognized.

Chad Everson, a former North Dakotan and a North Dakota Ambassador, has got more on his hands than his Raku pottery business, the Clay Empire.

Everson is also the owner of Grizzly Groundswell, a conservative political blog that in the past year organized a national network of conservative bloggers and thinkers.  Under his direction, the network has grown to more than 20 credentialed bloggers, 320 plus offsite bloggers, over 35 internet radio shows and two 24/7 video channels.  But the real news is what the network plans to do: report, in its own way, on the upcoming Republican National Convention.

“If you remember how television changed politics with the first televised presidential debate, not necessarily for the better, with our Grizzly Groundswell Strategy we have the potential to change politics in a good way, a Main Street Media way,” Everson said.  ”We are unleashing conservative thought, voice and image with this online media empire.”

A Radio Guide listing the Grizzly Groundswell Internet radio shows covering the Republican National Convention includes call-in numbers for people listening to the shows.  Everson said people from across the nation are encouraged to listen to the shows and call in with their comments and questions, including whether or not the news articles appearing in their area are accurate.

Everson said the Internet media event has a three-pronged purpose:  1) to hold traditional media resources accountable for the way they report the convention, 2) to validate Internet resources like blogs as a serious form of media, and 3) to create a groundswell of conservative political ideas that will influence upcoming elections and policies.     

The network has some serious conservative muscle on its side.  Mad Irishman, Patriot Games and Everson himself are some of the radio shows/bloggers that will be discussing the convention.

At the very least, Everson’s hard work and creativity are great examples of the kind of people that come out of North Dakota.  Having Grizzly Groundswell/Main Street Media coverage will make the upcoming Republican National Convention a very exciting week.

According to this KX News article, Tim Mathern, the Democratic Candidate for Governor in North Dakota, wants to see significantly more wind energy development and more transmission lines.  Don Larson, campaign manager for the current Governor John Hoeven, said under Hoeven the state is developing wind power and has created the Transmission Authority to address energy transmission issues.

Transmission may be a problem for a few years, but the transmission authority is aready working in partnership with lignite coal development to build new lines.  I have confidence that the state and the ND people will find ways to export our growing wind energy production to the coasts and other areas that might be short on their own energy supplies.

The great thing about this is that developing wind energy is already picking up pace in North Dakota.  According to a press release issued from Gov. Hoeven’s office today, the state had less than 1/2 megawatt of wind energy production four years ago.  New projects built or being built will bring us to 2,500 megawatts, with more projects coming.

The press release covers all ND areas of energy as a source of economic development, including wind energy production, ethanol and biodiesel, hydrogen, petroleum, natural gas, and clean coal technology.  It was presented by Gov. Hoeven at the T. Boone Pickens Event in Fargo, North Dakota as a way to highlight our progress in the energy industry.

One thing I learned, from the press release:

North Dakota is home to the nation’s only federally designated Center for Hydrogen Technology, our nation’s leader in hydrogen research and development. It’s a N.D. Center of Excellence.

LINKS AVAILABLE AT ORIGINAL POST—

According to a fact sheet at NDSU Research Park’s web site, research activities at North Dakota State University have been covered by publications/media like The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, New York Times, CNN, Washington Post online, Discover, Nature, BBC and Wired Magazine in the past few years.

Other comments on the fact sheet indicate that as the university continues to grow, the Fargo/Moorhead downtown area is being revitalized.  Trendy new stores make the downtown Fargo area a fun place to be.  (My experience is that this is happening on a smaller scale across the entire state.)

But my favorite quote from the fact sheet is as follows:

North Dakota was among four states cited by the 2007 State New Economy Index as making the greatest strides toward transformation toward a new economy over the past five years. (March 2007)

Certainly we’re seeing a period of high economic activity.  The energy corridor in the western half of the state, and more particularly in the Bakken oil formation in the northwestern corner of North Dakota, is booming to the point of creating millionaires from farmers.  Wind energy development an biofuels are big issues, too.

But it’s not all about energy.  It may be more about synergy.  The state was also recently recognized for having the highest growths for exports in the country–even though much of the state, in which agriculture has traditionally been the top industry, is experiencing drought.

Tourism is doing well, too.  Outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, camping, birding, boating, hunting and bicycling are the perfect fit for health-minded travelers.  (North Dakotans themselves are encouraged to utilize these resources.) History buffs find plenty of brain food in places like Medora or Fort Lincoln State Park.  For folks journeying to Canada can see the International Peace Gardens.

While much of the nation struggles with a housing slump, North Dakota has remained relatively strong.  Some areas of the state are growing so fast that there’s a shortage of housing.  Real Estate is reasonably priced, even though housing in the metropolitan areas is more expensive than in small rural towns.

The research corridor on the eastern side of North Dakota has brought in its share of successes.  NDSU and its research park and business incubator, and University of North Dakota and its business incubators in Grand Forks have three-fold successes:  they educate our students (very well), they work on large research contracts with both the government and private industries, and they develop the entrepreneurial spirit so abundant on the high plains.

When all’s said and done, it may be that entrepreneurial spirit that makes the difference.  From everything I know about the hardy North Dakota people, they find creative ways to use what they have for improving life.  They export food.  They export energy.  They offer intelligence through vehicles like the research corridor.  They even offer fun new experiences.

In short, North Dakotans are helping to meet market demands in a globalized world.

Mike Rud, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association, speaks out in this Bismarck Tribune article.  According to Rud, the high price of fuel is due to oil speculation in trading markets.

From the article:

Rud called it “gaming the market,” and called the practice absurd.

As an example, Rud said at one point, a man purchased 46 million barrels of oil. To put that in perspective, Valero, the largest purchaser of oil on the open market, uses about 3 million barrels a day in all of its refineries, Rud said.

“When some guy, who is just a trader on Wall Street, has control of 46 million barrels of oil, someone needs to explain that to the American people,” he said. “That’s just wrong.”

It makes a huge difference in gas prices–and hence in our ability to travel.  This was driven home this past week as we paid between $3.79 and $4.43 per gallon every time we refueled.  Most stations we stopped at were selling gasoline for around $4.00 per gallon.

Gov. John Hoeven has already called for an investigation into oil speculation.  Meanwhile, efforts to increase supply by drilling in areas like the Bakken formation continue.  One disturbing piece of news was the fact that North Dakota’s own Congressman Earl Pomeroy apparently has a record for voting against drilling for more oil.

Although that last bit of information reminded me of something from National Enquirer, it makes me wonder how serious we really are about lowering gas prices.  The raised costs of food and fuel put strong restrictions on ordinary Americans.  How long until these situations become serious enough to declare martial law?

Okay, that last bit DID sound like something from National Enquirer, but still.  Mike Rud has a point.

With the Bakken oil formation so much in the news here in ND, it’s bound to draw attention from people looking for steady, good-paying jobs, ways to invest in new technology and the oil industry, or people hoping to push an agenda that includes freeing the U.S. from its dependence on foreign oil.

The following is a short list of resources for people seeking more information on the Bakken and oil development in North Dakota.  Some of the towns with significant development due to the Bakken are included, as well as some real estate information.  The town sites should have contact information for people wanting to learn more about the bakken, local oil jobs or housing in the area. (LINKS ARE INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL POST AT DAKOTA LIFESTYLE: BEYOND THE WEATHER)

*Department of Mineral Resources Geological Survey
*North Dakota Petroleum Council
*Bakken Blog
*Tremendous Job Opportunities In North Dakota’s Oil Fields
*NDOilJobs.com (read more about it here)
*Shale Shock!
*Williston, ND
*Tioga, ND
*Minot, ND
*Dickinson, ND
*Great Plains Energy Park
*Fredricksen Real Estate (Williston)
*Coldwell Banker (Minot)
*Everett Real Estate (Dickinson)

From the article (I bolded the parts that really caught my attention):

Bernanke’s testimony comes just two days after the Fed and the Treasury Department came to the rescue of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, offering to throw them a financial lifeline.

The Fed chief was later joined by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Chris Cox, who were summoned to detail the rescue plan.

The two companies hold or guarantee more than $5 trillion in mortgages — almost half of the nation’s total. The Bush administration is asking Congress to temporarily increase lines of credit to Fannie and Freddie and to let the government buy their stock. The Fed has offered to let the companies draw emergency loans.

Visit Dakota Lifestyle:  Beyond the Weather

From the press release:

“There hasn’t been a ship named after the State of North Dakota in 85 years,” Hoeven said. “That’s why together we put on a full court press to get the Navy to name a submarine after our state, and we were successful. I think the more than 1,000 pictures colored by our young people which we presented to Donald Winter, Secretary of the Navy, impressed him with the grassroots effort our state made to name a submarine USS North Dakota.”