Well, that was a quick turnaround. No dice for NoDak apparently as President Obama has declined an offer to visit North Dakota.
Congressman Kevin Cramer’s (R-ND) staff sent out this prepared statement Tuesday:
Washington D.C. – Today President Obama declined Congressman Kevin Cramer’s offer for the President to visit North Dakota, only four days after his office received the invitation. An explanation was not provided other than expressing his appreciation, and a promise to keep Cramer’s request on file.
“Although I understand the pressures upon the President’s schedule, I am perplexed with the hurried nature of his response. I continue to believe the President would stand to gain a number of insights on what’s happening in North Dakota, which he can take back to the White House and help our nation. I hope the President’s implied proposal for further consideration is genuine and North Dakotans don’t feel offended, ” stated Cramer.
Why not visit North Dakota? Besides being a leader in economic growth, the development of the Bakken oil fields has also helped lower carbon emissions in the US. Find that odd? The Wall Street Journal editorial page has this:
The federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported last week, to too little media fanfare, that U.S. energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions declined 3.8% in 2012, bringing C02 emissions to their lowest level since 1994. The only year since 1990 with a steeper decline was 2009 amid an economic recession. The 2012 decline occurred even as the economy grew 2.8%.
More notable is that 2012 saw the largest drop in the overall “carbon intensity” of the economy since the feds began keeping records in 1949. The EIA reports that the boom in natural-gas production “substantially reduced the carbon intensity of electricity generation in 2012.” The switch to natural gas, mainly from coal, was so substantial that the resulting CO2-emissions decreases offset what was an “overall decline” last year in renewable power generation.
If you’re scoring at home, this means that the innovation of the private oil and gas industry in extracting natural gas from oil shale has done more to reduce CO2 emissions than have all of the Obama Administration’s subsidies, mandates and crony-capitalist schemes for renewable energy.
CNBC.com: Serial entrepreneur finds gold in North Dakota oil boom (h/t Northern Broadcasting’s Brian Bennett)
His name is Marcus Jundt, CEO of Williston Holding Co., which owns the Williston Brewing Co.—the spot we did the show from—and three other restaurants in town.
But Jundt is more than the owner of a couple of local joints. He co-founded the publicly traded Kona Group and is one of the early investors in Caribou Coffee, also a public company.
Why Williston? Video:
Al Smith
Saturday, November 02, 2013 5:47 PM
Another thought on this subject…
Maybe President Obama thought North Dakota was that 58th state he had yet to visit after having already visited 57 states? He probably just decided to skip it. Being east of Montana, no one of importance lives there anyway. Heh!