Looking for work? You're in luck. Two of the poorer states in the nation are reversing their 'oportunity' status, and now have lots of job. Lots of folks are flocking to the jobs too. One of our Montana neighbor's is moving from the west side of the state to join the flock. But as history shows, there's a price to be paid for instant opportunity. Enter, 'Man-Camps' ... if you should be so lucky. From the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us/north-dakota-oil-boom-creates-camps-of-men.html I wonder what other 'bonanza' offsets there are - if you don't count the unregulated Fracking poisons (ok it's regulated, in that you can't regulate it ... shaking head). Is the bakken gas/oil going to last 10 years or 100 years? Is this just a temporary heroin addict's fix? Can we go back to McMansions, Toy haulin' RV's and 4,000 mile supply chains? I duno ... I can't imagine being so broke as to live in a car with -5 degree winter weather, 100's of miles from family, just to keep the carbon addiction alive. .
As far as being broke, be glad you can't imagine it. Some folks just have to do whatever they have to do to survive. Good news is, the Prius is perfect for it. Just leave the car powered on, set the HVAC to toasty, and catch some shuteye while the HSD does its magic. Somehow I suspect these aren't Prius drivin' folk, however.
The boom in the Bakken is huge. We travel the northern tier several times a year, and we never plan on getting a motel room between Havre and Minot, or between Billings and Bismark. There often times just aren't any, at any time of the year! The boom times come at a very high price for the locals however. Pressure on infrastructure is considerable. When the bust comes,, they will be left holding the bill! Icarus
I haven't had a chance to read the article yet but the jobs boom in North Dakota has been making the news over the last 6 months or so... Here are some articles I forwarded to a friend on this: Oil boom brings high-paying jobs to North Dakota - Sep. 28, 2011 News Headlines Unemployed Flock to North Dakota to Take Advantage of Job Boom - ABC News For those who haven't seen it, Unemployment Rates for States ranks states by unemployment rate.
Given the tension between jobs/family/security and possible long term environmental damage, it seems to me the title of the thread could (should?) read: Dichotomy: Lots of Fricking Fracking Jobs.
