Uploaded on 2017-06-01 by Donna R Wood

As a landlocked state, North Dakota imports many products and services from outside of our borders. However, we are also a state that is rich in natural and agricultural resources. The oil in our state has become one of our largest exports. We are a state of less than 1 million people, with a harsh winter climate. As a byproduct of the oil industry, our population fluctuates during the times of oil production, processing and exporting. Thousands of energy company employees come to the state during the spring, summer and fall, and then population decreases in the winter when they return to their home states in the south. The oil itself is a stock that flows out of our state via truck, train and pipelines. This has had a significant impact on the infrastructure of North Dakota. The costs of housing and maintaining the highways has become important issues at the forefront of everyone's mind. It has created problems such as homeless individuals living in our state parks, human trafficking, and drugs. However, the oil industry has also increased the financial stability of many families who would otherwise struggle with meeting day-to-day needs. I don't have an image to reflect this. However, the picture above is the construction equipment used to replace the old Four Bears bridge that spanned the Missouri at New Town, North Dakota, in preparation for the oil industry.