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May 2008

State Roundups
North Dakota

Wind power: Huffing and puffing

It looks like North Dakota is attempting to live up to its billing as the Saudi Arabia of wind power, because it's hard to keep track of all the new proposals.

In the fall of 2007, the state was producing about 170 megawatts of wind energy. According to local newspapers and other reports, a handful of major proposals would push that figure up dramatically: In January, a 159-megawatt wind farm near Langdon started producing power and promptly sought a 40-megawatt expansion. Other proposals on the drawing board this year include a 150-megawatt project near Finley, which reportedly could grow to 500 megawatts; a 200-megawatt farm near Valley City (at a reported cost of $350 million); and a 115-megawatt project south of Minot ($240 million).

The activity stems in part from the scheduled elimination of a federal tax break for wind power at the end of this year. Transmission has been repeatedly identified as a potential kink in the development of more wind power. So in February, two utility companies announced a new 400-megawatt power line that will move new wind power to a substation near West Fargo.

Working hard at working hard

While much of the country is slumping, North Dakota is humming a tune while it goes to work.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state has the highest labor force participation rate in the country. Among its civilian, noninstitutionalized population, 71.8 percent were employed in January of this year. That rate beat second-place Nebraska by more than half a percentage point and outpaced 90 percent of states by at least two percentage points.

From January 2007 to January 2008, the state logged the fifth-highest rate of job growth, at just over 2 percent. The state's unemployment rate—at 3.2 percent—puts it among the 10 lowest in the country. Fewer workers are also taking on multiple jobs. As recently as 2005, the state led the nation at nearly 10 percent. The most recent data on multiple jobs showed it slipped to 8.4 percent in 2006, dropping the state to eighth place.

—Ronald A. Wirtz