Emily Guerin

North Dakotans Feel Singled Out In Clean Power Plan's Compliance Mandate

Emily Guerin

Under the final version of the plan, North Dakota will have to cut emissions by 45 percent — a fourfold increase from the draft plan, and more than any other state.

Star gazers flock to the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota for the annual Dakota Nights Astronomy Festival. Red lights were used during the event to help people move between telescopes without ruining their night vision. Between 2010 and 2013, the amount of non-natural light visible from the park increased by 500 percent, more than in any other national park.

Oil Boom Means Sky Watchers Hoping for Starlight Just Get Stars, Lite

Emily Guerin

Light pollution has increased by 500 percent at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, thanks to nearby oil fields. Stargazers and oilmen are working together to find a solution.

Alexander High School teacher and football team defensive coordinator Mike Rizzo (center) leads the high school and junior high teams through warm-up stretches at a practice in August. Most of the members of the team, which plays in a six-man division, have never played organized football before.

Oil Boom Brings Small Town A Big Victory: A Football Team, At Last

Emily Guerin

The high school football game is the center of life for many towns in rural America. One town in western North Dakota is celebrating the return of the ritual for the first time in more than 25 years.

A fireball goes up at the site of an oil train derailment in Casselton, N.D., in this Dec. 30 photo. The fiery crash left an ominous cloud over the town and led some residents to evacuate.

Fiery Oil-Train Derailments Prompt Calls For Less Flammable Oil

Emily Guerin

Trains carrying oil from North Dakota pass through American towns daily — and sometimes they derail and explode. The oil industry is now under pressure to make the oil less volatile before shipping.