WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND
By Scott Hennen
Host of “What’s On Your Mind?” Radio Show
heard on the Flag Family Network including KTGO 1090AM
in Watford City, Williston and Tioga, North Dakota
Kevin O’Leary doesn’t do subtle. In a wide-ranging conversation touching everything from global conflict to artificial intelligence, “Mr. Wonderful” zeroed in on something North Dakotans understand well: energy is power, economically, strategically and increasingly, technologically.
His message was simple: the world is waking up to what North Dakota has long known.
O’Leary called oil “the mother of all commodities” and argued recent global instability has shattered the illusion that wind and solar can replace hydrocarbons anytime soon. After years of subsidies and political pressure pushing alternatives, a sudden spike in oil prices reminded policymakers of a basic truth: there is no substitute for oil. You can supplement it, but you cannot run a modern economy without it.
That reality puts North Dakota in a position of strength.
With some of the finest light, sweet crude on earth, the Bakken remains central to America’s energy security. But O’Leary’s argument goes beyond drilling. The real opportunity is building the infrastructure to fully capitalize on oil and gas while powering the next wave of economic growth.
That includes refining capacity. O’Leary argued that America needs more state-of-the-art refineries and that current policies have made them nearly impossible to build. If policymakers are serious about energy abundance, they must be serious about turning crude into usable fuel.
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