WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND
By Scott Hennen
Host of “What’s On Your Mind?” Radio Show
heard on the Flag Family Network including KTGO 1090AM
Watford City, Williston and Tioga, North Dakota
I’ve talked a lot about North Dakota’s unprecedented opportunity at the intersection of energy and compute - about how our state could become the powerhouse for the next generation of intelligence factories. But the time for talk is over. We need immediate action. The window is open right now, and it will not stay open long.
We’ve already proven what happens when North Dakota thinks big. I watched our oil and gas industry propose a bold idea - and then watched our elected leaders actually deliver it. We surged research dollars into enhanced oil recovery, empowering the Energy & Environmental Research Center at UND to accelerate breakthroughs at lightning speed. Today that effort is real, moving fast, with public and private dollars marching in step. The mission: crack the code of maturing oil fields and unleash the energy the world desperately needs.
Economic studies estimate that this effort alone could add $9 billion to the Legacy Fund over the next decade. But that number is only the beginning.
Because now, an even bigger idea is staring us in the face.
If we combine our enhanced recovery breakthroughs with a rapid expansion in power generation, North Dakota can become the North American capitol of compute. AI needs one thing above all others: energy. And we have it. In abundance. More important, we have something nearly extinct in modern America - a pro-business, innovation-first culture that doesn’t regulate opportunity out of existence.
For the full story, visit www.watfordcitynd.com and subscribe to the McKenzie County Farmer today!