North Dakota Boom Town Mulls Moratorium on Oil Worker 'Man Camps'

Williston, N.D., Mayor Ward Koeser says he believes the city will soon enact a moratorium on new man camps -- the temporary, dormitory-style housing facilities for oil workers that dot the landscape of western North Dakota -- as permanent housing in the region has expanded, the Williston Herald reports.

“I really think the city will in the very near future put a moratorium on man camps in town,” Koeser reportedly said. “I think everybody’s anxious to say enough is enough of this."

Williston has achieved international fame due its position as the largest city in the heart of the oil boom in western North Dakota. The city's struggle with addressing the growing demand of its population surge -- including the debate about man camps -- was feature in a Governing article last year.

The city is also mulling a ban on mobile food vendors, which Koeser says are contributing to congestion in the city.