Dickinson’s ‘Oil Bust Alley’ Featured on PBS NewsHour
Highway 22 in Dickinson, described by some as 'Oil Bust Alley,' was recently given the spotlight treatment, courtesy of PBS NewsHour.
As the video above points out, there were 180 rigs drilled in the Bakken oil fields in 2014, but only 27 remain active today.
With the decrease in active rigs, PBS NewsHour reporter Emily Guerin focuses on businesses hurt by the downturn in oil production, including a uniform shop and hotels in the area.
While Guerin spends much of the just-over seven-minute segment discussing the negative effects of the dropping oil activity in Dickinson, she also hits on some of the positives. That includes the benefits to local government, who now have less difficulty hiring people, because they don't have to compete with the much higher oil field salaries.
Many expect the oil business to come charging back very, very soon, which would, once again, bring both positive and negative effects to North Dakota.
We will just have to wait and see when and if it actually happens.
You can read more at PBS.org. You can also watch for reruns of the segment on Prairie Public Broadcasting.
[PBS.org]