Forget potential, look at what is happening right now - on the ground. I was in Williston, North Dakota, last month. The place is absolutely bonkers - construction everywhere. Trucks roar down rural roads. Motels, even mid-week, with no vacancies. Long lines at retail establishments and gas stations. Oil rigs and storage facilities sprouting all over the prairie.Tonight, my second night in Williston after being gone for a couple of months, I realized I needed a loaf of bread. I was ready to go to Economart, when I remembered another option.
It is hard to believe that a few years back, due to rural depopulation, some advocated turning the Dakotas into a vast grassland where only buffalo would roam. So much for prognosticators. Fortunately, the buffalo are still thriving.
I bought my bread, and spoke with the "manager." She said they have several stores in Montana and North Dakota and she occasionally fills in at the store in Williston. She said when she comes to Williston, she cannot find a room at any of the motels. In the past two years several new motels/hotels have popped up and still there are not enough rooms. I talked to one motel manager and she says folks are getting the word that west of Minot nothing can be found for overnight lodging.
I wonder if the SeekingAlpha writer (above) actually saw any buffalo. The only buffalo, as far as I know, in the oil patch are in the Theodore Roosevelt Park -- the north unit near Watford City, and the south unit near Dickinson ("near" being "relative").