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Annie Baxter and Todd Melby

What if ND oil boom goes bust?

Pump jack
This Nov. 6, 2013 file photo shows a Whiting Petroleum Co. pump jack pulls crude oil from the Bakken region of the Northern Plains near Bainville, Mont.
Matthew Brown | AP file

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For nearly a decade, the Bakken formation has produced record amounts of oil across North Dakota. The oil created a boom that brought people from across the country in search of high-paying jobs, and dramatically shaped small towns that suddenly had New York City-sized rents and more people than they new what to do with.

But in 2015, the boom has lost steam. Oil prices have dropped, as well as production. How is that affecting the broader economy in North Dakota?

Two reporters covering the area joined MPR News' Kerri Miller to discuss the issue.