Business & Economy – Page 12 – TheMinotVoice.com

Shoe retailer Payless files for bankruptcy; hundreds of stores expected to close

by: Josh Wolsky | April 5, 2017

Another day and another story of a major national retailing filing for bankruptcy. The economic disruption caused by the Internet and online retailers like Amazon is just starting to ripple through our communities in a manner we can see and touch. No word yet on if Minot’s Payless ShoeSource will be among the 400 stores

Read & Share sourced from: Forbes

Simple oil field invention could save lives

by: Josh Wolsky | April 3, 2017

A Watford City welder with a good idea that makes the oil-field safer is taking his idea to an Innovation and Energy competition sponsored by Tioga’s Economic Development arm. But the idea is already in production and orders are coming in. Check out the story on the Bismarck Tribune.

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

ND Senate Approves Bill That Reduces Oil Spill Reporting

by: Josh Wolsky | March 30, 2017

A bill that wold reduce the reporting requirements on oil and produced-water spills continues to progress through the legislature. House Bill 1151 eliminates the requirement to report spills of less than 10 barrels (420 gallons) that are contained on a drill site. Amy Dalrymple provides a deeper look at the details at The Oil Patch

Read & Share sourced from: Oil Patch Dispatch

Pipeline System That Leaked At Risk Of Future Failures, Regulators Say

by: Josh Wolsky | March 30, 2017

Estimates of a pipeline spill from back in December are growing in size, and the early conclusions of regulators investigating the incident are increasingly troubling. Amy Dalrymple has the report on the Belle Fourche Pipeline spill that’s now estimated to have released approximately 530,000 gallons. The initial cause is believed to be slumping ground; it’s also possible

Read & Share sourced from: Oil Patch Dispatch

North Dakota oil output set to rise as controversial pipeline opens

by: Josh Wolsky | March 30, 2017

The Dakota Access pipeline is in the process of coming online; it’s expected to save the local producers $540 million annually in shipping costs. The lower costs will make the oil field more competitive, and signs of growth are already on the horizon. The pipeline will have the capacity for 500,000 barrels per day; the $540 million translates

Read & Share sourced from: Reuters

Regulations rollback a relief for energy industry, worry for environmentalists

by: Josh Wolsky | March 30, 2017

President Trump is following through on his pledges to protect coal as one of our country’s vital energy sources; in the North Dakota coal industry, it’s a welcome reprieve. The regulatory rollback drew responses from many circles including North Dakota’s congressional delegation. Sam Easter has the story.

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

ND fifth-best state for business

by: Josh Wolsky | March 1, 2017

When it comes to doing business, North Dakota Ranks near the top of the list. The financial news website 24/7 Wall St. produces the rankings annual and considers factors like gross domestic product, growth rate, and homeownership expenses as a percentage of income.

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

Lyft announces huge Midwest expansion, including Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks

by: Josh Wolsky | February 24, 2017

The sharing economy is moving into North Dakota in a big way. Ride-sharing service Lyft announced a 50-city expansion into the midwest that includes Fargo, Bismarck, and Grand Forks. To read more about the expansion, check out this article on The Verge. To learn more about Lyft, check out this video.

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Dakota Access oil could flow by March 6

by: Josh Wolsky | February 24, 2017

With the political obstructions cleared by the Trump Administration and the #NoDAPL protest winding down, the construction of the pipeline under the lake has moved forward and is nearing completion. There are court proceedings still taking place, but a status report filed by Dakota Access indicates oil could be flowing as early as March 6.

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Farm Operators Adapting to Supply and Demand Economics

by: Josh Wolsky | February 2, 2017

In the business of producing raw food products, current commodity prices are directly impacted by last year’s harvest. And current prices are the biggest factor in what get’s planted this year. It all results in a game that requires good operators to adapt their farms to supply and demand conditions that have potential for the

Read & Share sourced from: Williston Herald

Congressman Cramer on the Dakota Access Easement Ruling

by: Josh Wolsky | December 7, 2016

Congressman Cramer weighs in with an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal. He lays out the facts of the issue and lays the lawless outcome directly on the shoulders of President Obama.

Read & Share sourced from: Wall Street Journal

UND’s energy center awarded $10 million to research capturing carbon dioxide

by: Josh Wolsky | December 1, 2016

UND’s energy center is getting a big influx of federal dollars all with the purpose of improving the environmental sustainability of our coal-fired power plants. The money will be put to work researching ways to capture the carbon by-product of energy from coal. April Baumgarten with the Grand Forks Herald has the full story on

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Leaner and meaner: US shale greater threat to OPEC after oil price war

by: Josh Wolsky | November 30, 2016

With news that OPEC has an agreement with member countries and Russia to reduce output, the conversation in North Dakota will shift to how did we come through this down cycle in the industry? And a couple reporters from Reuters have the start of the answer. It may turn out that the OPEC attempt to

Read & Share sourced from: Reuters

Oil up sharply as OPEC finalizes first output cut since 2008

by: Josh Wolsky | November 30, 2016

The glut in world oil supply, which in turn led to the price of oil plummeting since mid-2014, may be behind us. OPEC, a cartel of loosely organized countries with a direct interest in maintaining higher oil prices has a tentative agreement that includes Russia to curb production. Speculation on oil futures responded quickly to

Read & Share sourced from: Reuters

Whatever Else Comes From the #NoDAPL Protests, Let’s Get North Dakota Cops Some Body Cameras

by: Josh Wolsky | November 29, 2016

Rob Port at Say Anything Blog offers up two important conversation points in this article, one of them unintentionally. First, the protest actions have exposed the need for police to be using body cameras, so we should figure out how to get that done. And second — and though not explicitly stated — it’s time

Read & Share sourced from: Say Anything Blog.com

#NoDAPL: Governor orders evacuation of protest site, but no forcible removals planned

by: Josh Wolsky | November 29, 2016

William Yardley of the L.A. Times gets the story right, and his editor got the headline right too. Not all national media and journalism is biased and this is a great example. Read the full article for yesterday’s developments in the #NoDAPL fiasco by following the ‘source’ link above.

Read & Share sourced from: Los Angeles Times