On this 4th of July, let’s take a look at an interesting video opinion piece focusing on something that is happening just south of the border in North Dakota. As the US moves towards energy independence, North Dakota is seeing a boom in resource extraction. It’s bringing big money to the state and plenty of jobs and it’s helping the country and the continent move away from foreign oil supplies. But it’s also raising many questions about the costs to the environment and to the culture and way of life in North Dakota. None of these last few points are addressed in this video. This analyst paints a rosy picture of oil and the various concerning methods used to extract it in some cases, failing to see concerns in fracking and the Keystone pipeline project. At the same time, energy independence is a desirable goal. I don’t think the US has enjoyed having to rely on volatile areas of the world for oil and gas, and for good reason.
It just touches the surface of a complex situation, but regardless, this is an interesting opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal that is worth checking out!