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石油财富吸引企业进驻北达科他州

The state of North Dakota has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, thanks to a glut¹ of jobs created by the oil boom in the western part of the state, which rests on one of the largest shale² oil deposits in the country. The job market keeps growing as more businesses relocate to North Dakota, attracted by the promise of profits -- but not without challenges.

北达科他是美国失业率最低的州之一，这主要归功于该州西部的石油热潮所创造的一大批工作机会。北达科他地下有全美最大的油页岩矿床之一。当地就业市场随着更多的企业迁入而欣欣向荣。这些企业面临着光明的盈利前景，但是也不乏挑战。

The once-sleepy town of Williston, North Dakota, is now a booming hub of business, thanks to new ways to extract oil from shale deposits in the region. And everyone wants a piece of the action.

曾经毫无生气的北达科他州威利斯顿镇现在已然成为蓬勃发展的商业中心，这要归功于从页岩中提取石油的新方法。人人都想从中分得一杯羹。

“Williston right now is the fastest growing micropolitan in the nation -- that’s cities under 50,000,” said Shawn Wenko, the Assistant Director of the Williston Economic Development Office. He admitted his organization -- and the state of the North Dakota -- are having a hard time keeping up with the number of people and businesses pouring in to the region.

威利斯顿经济发展办公室助理主任肖恩?文科说，“威利斯顿现在是全国发展最快的小镇。 小镇是人口少于5 万的城市。” 他承认，他的部门以及北达科他州都处在难以适应大量民众和企业涌入的艰难时期。

“You just see the construction that is going vertical³ is phenomenal. We’ve done over $1.2 billion in permit valuations in the last year in the city of Williston,” he said.

“正如你所见，这里的建设速度是惊人的。去年威利斯顿签发了超过12亿美元的项目许可证。”

Manufacturing muscle

Vactor Manufacturing received one of those permits. The Illinois-based business makes large industrial vacuum systems mounted on trucks.

瓦克托制造总司是获得许可的企业之一。这个本部设在伊利诺伊州的企业生产装载在卡车上的大型工业真空系统。

Typically used by municipalities as way to clear out sewers⁴ and storm drains, Vactor’s equipment also can be used at oil rigs and storage tanks -- increasing the demand for its products in North Dakota’s oil fields.

瓦克托的设备通常被市政当局用来清理下水道和排雨沟，也可以用在石油钻机和储罐上，其产品在北达科他州油田的需求量越来越大。

General Manager Sam Miceli said his company recently built a service center in Williston to maintain the trucks and equipment they’ve been selling to companies in the oil fields. “There’s probably 25-plus competitors in the marketplace, and all of them are trying to get into North Dakota.”

瓦克托制造总司总经理山姆?米赛里说，“市场上大约有超过25家竞争者，他们都试图进驻北达科他州。”

“Being able to support that piece of equipment, it’s a harsh environment, it’s a highly demanding market, so when a machine goes down or they need a spare part, they need it now,” said Miceli. “I’ve never been in a place where money is no option. If you have it, I’ll pay for it. Which is a real interesting prospect⁵ for a manufacturer. So our challenge is figuring out how to get more of it out there.”

山姆?米赛里说，他的公司最近在威利斯顿建立了服务中心，以方便对售往该地区的卡车和设备进行维护。

He said one of the biggest challenges, though, has been recruiting and retaining service center employees.

但是他说，最严峻的挑战之一是招募和留住服务中心的员工。

“You not only have to pay well, but you have to provide housing and you have to provide incentives⁶ to keep those guys on your job,” said Miceli.

“你不仅要提供足够的薪水，还必须提供住房和能使他们留下来工作的动力。”

Because of higher rates of pay for many jobs, North Dakota leads the nation in net migration⁷. The state’s economy has grown five times faster than the national average over the last several years -- and the western part of North Dakota is expected to see a 50 percent population expansion over the next several decades as more companies try to cash in on the oil boom.

由于很多工作工资提高，北达科他州在净移民人数上全国领先。在过去几年里，该州的经济增长速度比全国平均增长速度快5倍。随着越来越多的公司投资这股石油热潮，北达科他州西部有望在未来几十年里实现50%的人口增长。

Which is why Shawn Wenko said Williston is planning for the long term. “We’re going to put $258 million into our roads. We’re looking at upgrading our waste-water treatment facility, upgrading our airport, upgrading our landfill, upgrading city government buildings, fire halls, police stations, everything that makes a city go round.”

That should help deal with two other factors that are growing -- the need for social services, and the crime rate.