Out and About All Weekend: I Apologize For Not Posting

I'm keeping up with some of the news, but not enough time to post. Fortunately there does not appear to be a lot of news.

Don noted that The Dickinson Press is calling "The Bakken" the number one news story for 2012. Just some of the items they noted:

The governor’s proposed $12.8 billion budget for the coming 2013-15 biennium includes $300 million to convert two-lane highways into four-lane ones, starting with U.S. Highway 85 between Watford City and Williston, plus $142 million to help counties and townships repair truck traffic-damaged roads. Under the budget, many new state positions would be added, including more highway patrol troopers, petroleum engineers and inspectors for monitoring drilling and well sites.

In 2012, the term “fracking” overtook “climate change” in Google searches, the word “Bakken” became a hot marketing tool, an LA production company sought oil workers for a planned reality TV show and journalists from both coasts and beyond descended on the area to report on the stories of low unemployment rates and fastest-growing U.S. population here in our midst.

The skyrocketing use of natural gas to produce electricity was projected in the state, even as gas flaring estimates of 30 percent with a loss of $100 million wasted were reported.

There was one word not mentioned in that story that I found interesting. At least I did not see the word and a "search" for the word came up negative. Let me check one more time....nope. The word "crime" was not mentioned.