COOPERSTOWN, N.D. -- Gas prices here went up 5 cents the other day, and not because crude went up. They went up because the stations couldn't get gas from anywhere in the state.
The fuel they bought came from Alexandria, Minn. Grand Forks and Fargo terminals were empty, as verified by WDAY-TV news last night.
I feel strongly that North Dakota should build an oil refinery. Why can't we? Why shouldn't we do this? We have a state-owned flour mill and a state-owned bank. Would this not fall into that same category?
I believe we can't wait for Washington to save us. If we do wait, we will end up like New Orleans after Katrina.
I am trying to figure out why we don't do something now. As a businessman, I think this would be a wise investment.
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If we had our own refinery, we wouldn't be dependent on the big oil company refineries in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, California and so on. We wouldn't be worried every time a hurricane came into the Gulf of Mexico. The refinery could buy North Dakota oil and turn it into North Dakota gas and diesel.
We have oil in North Dakota. Why don't we use it? Why do we burn diesel to truck our crude to places such as Minneapolis and Chicago, just so it can be refined and then trucked or piped back to us?
This seems like a big waste of energy to me.
What about that pipeline being built across North Dakota right now? If we had a refinery here, they could have built that pipeline right to our refinery rather than to one in Illinois.
We haven't had a refinery built in this country since the 1970s. Let me say that again -- since the 1970s. You don't think the technology we have today would build a better, safer and cleaner refinery than what we had in the 1970s?
If I am wrong in my thinking, let me know. While you're at it, tell me the winning Powerball numbers, too, so I can afford to heat my house and pay for the groceries that are trucked in.
Brian Saxberg
