Update On NIMBY And The Sierra Club; Bakken Economy Milestones Being Celebrated-- June 12, 2015

In response to an earlier NIMBY story, a reader has provided a list of sites that the Sierra Club has "approved" for energy development:

• solar: none
• wind: none
• ethanol: none
• oil: none
• coal: none
• natural gas: none
• the moon: if appropriately regulated, but only one test site on the dark side of the moon

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Hell Froze Over

Conservative talk radio cheers Ms Pelosi.

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Now It's Personal

The White House says this is a "temporary setback." If so, it's now one-on-one; he-v-she; his narcissism vs her ego, and maybe even mano-o-mano.

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For Those Keeping Score At Home

Published Today -- Just Four Hours Ago

From The New York Times:

A month and a half after six officers were charged in Mr. Gray’s death, policing has dwindled in some of Baltimore’s most dangerous neighborhoods, and murders have risen to levels not seen in four decades. The totals include a 29-year-old man fatally shot on this drug corner last month. Police union officials say that officers are still coming to work, but that some feel a newfound reluctance and are stepping back, questioning whether they will be prosecuted for actions they take on the job.

Around the nation, communities and police departments are struggling to adapt to an era of heightened scrutiny, when every stop can be recorded on a cellphone. But residents, clergy members and neighborhood leaders say the past six weeks have made another reality clear: that as much as some officers regularly humiliated and infuriated many who live here, angering gang members and solid citizens alike, the solution has to be better policing, not a diminished police presence. [It's a two-way street.]

“Without law enforcement, there is no order,” Pastor Weah said. “In truth, residents want a strong police force, but they also want accountability.” She said that she sympathized with many officers who did their jobs well but were now just as hated as the abusive officers, and that she prayed the spate of killings would be the shock that finally caused change. ["Without law enforcement, there is no order." Really? The Romanticists thought the savage noble.]

“This crisis was bound to happen because of the broken relationship between law enforcement and the people,” she said. “When something gets this infected, you have to break it down and start from new.” [Giving them space to destroy is the first step in starting anew, apparently.]

At least 55 people, the highest pace since the early 1970s, have been murdered in Baltimore since May 1, when the state’s attorney for the city, Marilyn J. Mosby, announced the criminal charges against the officers. Victims of shootings have included people involved in criminal activity and young children who were simply in the wrong place.

One can track Baltimore homicides sort of like tracking Bakken rigs and wells.  I thought all these Baltimore homicides were occurring on "the west side." Spin. Look at the map. The only place in/around Baltimore that I don't see shootings in on the Patapsco River. West of Baltimore. North of Baltimore. East of Baltimore. Downtown Baltimore. It looks like the one safe place is the riverfront.

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Chicago Not Far Behind

CBS Local is reporting:

Three people suffered minor injuries early Friday, when someone in another vehicle shot up their car on the Dan Ryan Expressway, the 19th shooting so far this year on Chicago area expressways, matching last year’s total for the entire year.

A reader tells me one can track Chicago homicide data here. 

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Bakken Economy
Milestones
The Western Area Water Supply (WAWS) Project and Williston Regional Water Treatment Plan will celebrate milestones during a private ceremony on Wednesday, June 17th. WAWS will celebrate its 4th anniversary; WRWTP will celebrate the completion of its expansion project. The water treatment plant has increased capacity from 14 million gallons per day to 21 mgd.

Officials plan to open two lanes of the Williston Northwest Truck Reliever Route on Saturday, Juen 13, 2015. The route will cost the state a total of $162 million. Work on southbound lanes of the route is expected to be completed in August.

On US malls rom CNBC:

For the first 100 years of its existence, the tiny town of Williston, North Dakota, was known for little more than ranching, farming and its proximity to where the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers meet. It was a true frontier town, with a small downtown district and the closest shopping mall some 125 miles away.

Blink and you could miss it.

Today Williston-which sits atop the oil-rich Bakken shale formation-is enjoying a second life as a key player in the state's booming economy. Following several years of record population growth and real estate development, the town will soon boast one more draw: a $500 million retail mecca complete with shopping, a hotel and indoor water park. Not bad for a town of just 32,000 people.

Williston is one of five major projects across the U.S. that highlight the many challenges facing the modern-day shopping mall-from the rise of online buying to Americans' flight to the cities. But they also identify some possible solutions, whether it's incorporating elements of what makes that town unique, or weaving in other forms of entertainment.

From AP/Star Tribune: ND's housing growth rate the fastest in the US.

Western ND airports seek upgrades; from The Bismarck Tribune:

Passengers can find a place to park at the Dickinson Airport but, for many, it's going to be on gravel. And despite lower oil prices, air traffic to Tioga is growing along with airport amenities. Many North Dakota airports have been underfunded for a long time, according to the state Aeronautics Commission. So while airline boarding numbers are leveling off, investments are still needed to meet demand and provide permanent solutions.