North Dakota Recognized For Permanent Economic Growth: The Silver Shovel Award

Updates

January 10, 2015: North Dakota did not make the cut for the Silver Shovel Award in 2014.

June 11, 2013: the same story, but at MSN Money.

June 7, 2013: North Dakota GDP growth tops in US; exceeds GDP growth of China.

June 6, 2013: North Dakota's economy -- #1 in US -- third consecutive year

Original Post

I posted this link/story earlier today, but for reasons that will become obvious later, I am posting it again, and expanding upon it.

First, the link/story in The Dickinson Press:

For the first time ever, North Dakota is being recognized by Area Development Magazine for its permanent economic growth.

Released Wednesday, North Dakota was one of 15 states to be honored with the Silver Shovel Award given by the site selection and facility planning quarterly. Four other states — Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Kansas — received Golden Shovel awards for being the top in their population category.

Each state had to pick 10 projects that represented permanent economic growth for the state, Editor Geraldine Gambale said from her Long Island, N.Y., office.

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I wasn't able to find the list of ten projects that North Dakota submitted, but here is my list, hoping that readers will let me know of major projects I missed. I'm not sure how to manage the oil-related projects; I will sort that out as we go along.

ONEOK: Bakken Natural Gas Liquids Pipeline and Stateline I and II and Garden Creek I, II and III natural gas processing plants

The Minn-Dak beet processing plant in Wahpeton

The Ultra Green Packaging factory in Devils Lake

Expansion of BNSF facilities in Minot; marketing headquarters in Bismarck

North Dakota State Bank: unique in the US

Port of North Dakota

#1 producer of several agricultural products; among top 5 for several other products

United Pulse Trading expansion in Minot

WAWS bringing potable water to numerous western communities

Proposed fertilizer plants in Jamestown ($1.2 billion); Grand Forks ($1.5 billion)

Two dozen crude-by-rail terminals established in less than five years

Numerous major pipeline projects: oil and natural gas

Bobcat expansion/re-emergence in Bismarck

North Dakota ranks third in percent of electricity production from wind energy (Iowa #1, South Dakota #2)

North Dakota ranks #1 in barley production, key to beer production (this alone should qualify us for the Golden Shovel award next year)

UND's Department of Aviation: largest collegiate training fleet

Great Plains Synfuels Plant uses thirteen percent of North Dakota’s yearly coal production to produce synthetic natural gas. This is the only commercial-scale coal gasification plant in the U.S., producing 54 billion cubic feet per year, most of which is piped to eastern states

Construction has begun on first new refinery in the United States since 1976 in the Dickinson area; two more planned