For months, low oil prices have contributed to the slowdown, as a global decline in demand made it financially unfeasible for refiners in North Dakota to continue tapping new wells. Another blow came Tuesday: an unexpected 7.6 percent dip in U.S. benchmark prices that sent economic shock waves worldwide. ADADUnlike other states, North Dakota has eschewed stay-at-home restrictions and other tough mandates since the pandemic began. ADAD“At the moment, it doesn’t look like we’re seeing any increased type of closure of economic activity,” said Jeremy Jackson, a top economics professor at North Dakota State University. North Dakota does not face the same sizable deficits that have forced so many other states to petition Washington for billions of dollars in aid.

Source: Washington Post September 11, 2020 10:08 UTC