Oil Boom continues to strain infrastructure of Eastern Montana communities

Sidney’s Mayor, Bret Smelser, stood at the corner of his community’s busiest street, Central Avenue. A steady stream of traffic, punctuated with big rigs, leaves thick white exhaust hanging in the frigid air. Smelser nodded to one truck.

"One of our city crew, collecting twice as much garbage as we did two years ago," he said.

Eastern Montana’s economy continues to see a surge due to oil and gas development. Unemployment in the counties closest to the Bakken Oil Boom averages almost two percent below the state average. The oil industry brought in $200 million in tax revenue to the state and local governments last year alone. But all that activity comes with a cost, too, and Eastern Montana communities are feeling some of the biggest impacts.

Especially on their infrastructure.

By Dan Boyce
Full Story: http://mtpr.org/post/oil-boom-continues-strain-infrastructure-eastern-montana-communities