North Dakota Builds The First New Refinery In The U.S. Since 1976

“The U.S. has not opened a new oil refinery since Gerald Ford was in the White House. But that will change next year. So where will the next facility be? In North Dakota, where the locals aren’t afraid to drill. When the Dakota Prairie refinery west of Bismarck, N.D., starts turning crude into usable — and essential — products in 2014, it will be the first to open in America since 1976. While much of the country is mired in joblessness, oil-flush North Dakota has openings to fill. The unemployment rate is 3.2%, the lowest in the country. Average weekly wages in the Bakken region have risen 40% since 2009.”

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/041113-651604-dakota-prairie-refinery-open-in-2014.htm