As a pleasant week on the prairies comes to an end, allow us one observation about the differences between bicoastal America and the heartland: Boy, it’s nice to come to a place where most everybody is proud and supportive of coal and oil. And for good reason — They’re fueling the state’s growing economy and population.

Population growth, or more typically its decline, has long been a measure of the North Dakota’s vitality. Outmigration, an older demographic and the flight from the rural counties had cast a pall over the state’s self-perception.

Now, instead of gloom a baby boom, thanks to energy.

Last year, 23 North Dakota counties had what demographers call a natural increase in population – births outnumbering deaths. But many counties still experience out-migration, so the net effect is that 15 counties saw a net population increase overall, according to a new report by the North Dakota State Data Center.

Many of those counties with increased population are in western North Dakota, reflecting the continuing energy boom, said demographer Richard Rathge, state data center director.

“This is very encouraging news and hopefully we can expand these numbers in the future,” he said.

And, the attitude toward energy remains welcoming:

BISMARCK, N.D. A $130 million plan to expand the Enbridge oil pipeline system in North Dakota is the biggest news for oil producers in the state in more than 20 years, a state official says.

Houston-based Enbridge Energy Partners L.P. announced the plans Friday, saying it will expand its pipeline system by 45,000 barrels per day by late 2009.

“It’s the biggest thing since the current Enbridge system was built in about 1984,” said Lynn Helms, the director of the state’s Department of Mineral Resources.

The Enbridge system brings crude oil from western North Dakota and Eastern Montana to Minnesota to connect with other pipeline systems and then to refinery markets, officials say.

Not coincidently, North Dakota is one of a few states to have added manufacturing jobs in recent years.

We’ll have some more reports from Coal Country next week.

Yesterday the blogger-in=-chief was out in sunny Cleveland, Ohio, manufacturing mecca, to speak to the Wire Association International’s “Wirenet” Conference. We got a bigger audience than we deserved, that’s for sure, but were there for the awards ceremony. It was great to hear the many tributes to the various award winners, each one a story of persistence and innovation, the two key elements that make manufacturers special, and great. A special congratulations to Sharon Young, a leader in the industry and the first woman President of the Wire Association International (WAI), a few years back. She won the WAI’s Donnellan Memorial Medal. Congrats are also due to Harry Petrohilos — engineer, innovator and manufacturer — who was awarded the WAI’s “Mordica Award.”

In any event, we talked about manufacturing and urged them all to tel their story, to invite their elected Representatives into their plants. Interestingly, we got one question from the crowd, expressing concern over inviting elected officials into their facilities, worried that they might instead try to cause problems for them. We assured the questioner that this would likely not happen, but what a sad commentary on the public’s view of elected officials, no? The question was honest and legitimate, a real fear that maybe their elected official might just turn on them. That it was not out of the realm of possibility spoke volumes. Our electeds have a huge perception problem, don’t you think…?

In any event, here’s a link to our slides. Thanks to WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll and to WAI President Tom Moran, who did a very nice introduction (Given what he had to work with) and as always, to our wire pal John Martin of Mar-Mac Wire, a true warrior for manufacturing.

The blogger-in-chief’s been busy racing around the state of Florida these days, with a speech in Jacksonville to a group of HR types on Monday and a speech to the Power-Motion Technology Representatives Association (PTRA) in Captiva Island yesterday.

Incidentally, it is not possible to fly (commercial) directly from Jacksonville to Ft. Myers or anywhere near Captiva. And so we opted for a flight to Tampa and then drove — with the help of a very cool portable GPS, a great manufactured product — to Captiva, a fairly remote spot. For those of you not following the news, things were quite smoky in Jacksonville due to the brush fires just north of there in Alabama. More surprisingly was the fact that the smoke was palpable yesterday morning a few hundred miles south in Captiva. But we were undaunted. Where there’s smoke, there’s smoke.

To the HR group, we preached of the scourge that was this stupid card check bill. It really is incredible when we travel outside the Washington Beltway into the real world and talk about the card check bill. The look of boredom on their faces is palpable, thinking that it’s all just some wacky idea cooked up by the unions and their Amen chorus in the Congress. When they hear that it passed the House in less than two months with 241 votes, the oxygen goes out of the room. They simply cannot believe that Congress would vote to scrap elections in the workplace. We urged them all to send a letter to their Senators to remind them of what a bad idea this bill really is.

To the PTRA, we gave our usual chat about manufacturing, along with a call to action. They were engaged and motivated and wanted to know how to get more involved. Here’s a copy of our slides, here’s a link to our Prosperity Project site and here’s a link where they, too, can send a letter to their Senators on the ill-advised anti-democracy card check bill.

Thanks to both groups for their almost-rapt attention and their hospitality.

“America’s Business” spans the manufacturing world from Brazil to Mississippi this week, as host Mike Hambrick tackles trade, Toyota, energy and the manufacturing economy.

Hambrick reports on the recent visit of an NAM-led delegation of U.S. manufacturers to Sao Paulo, where they met with their Brazilian counterparts and government leaders to discuss ways of furthering the Doha Round of global trade talks. NAM President John Engler recounts the discussions; Whirlpool’s vice president, Tom Catania, who chairs the U.S.-Brazil Trade Council, adds perspective; and Tom Murphy of Dow-Jones Newswires in Sao Paulo summarizes the news.

From northern Mississippi, Mike covers the groundbreaking of Toyota’s new $1.3 billion SUV plant. He interviews Jim Wiseman, vice president of external affairs for Toyota North America, Mississippi Governor Harley Barbour and Senator Trent Lott, R-MS.

John Byrd, president of the Association for Manufacturing Technology, provides his views on today’s manufacturing economy.

And in the first segment of a far-reaching interview, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich examines energy security and environmentalist excesses, putting in a plug for nuclear energy at the same time.

In our regular segments, Drew Greenblatt reports from “The Factory Floor” of Marlin Steel Wire Products in Baltimore; Jean Ann Harcourt of Harcourt Industries in Indiana mounts the “Soap Box” to protest the death tax; the NAM’s Hank Cox recalls “The Way it Was”; and NAM President John Engler closes with his “The Last Word” commentary on applying duties to counter China’s industrial subsidies.

For more on “America’s Business” and to listen to the show on-line, please click here.

As we noted below, yesterday found the blogger-in-chief in Orlando, Florida (seems he’s spending an awful lot of time in Florida these days….) speaking to the Spring Meeting of the Association of Independent Corrugated Converters, expertly honchoed by our buddy Steve Young (not that Steve Young.)

In any event, we promised to post our slides and here they are. The AICC Fly-In is here in Washington DC in June and we have no doubt these folks will descend en masse for that event, carrying the message of manufacturing. As luck would have it, before our talk, three members of the AICC stood up to talk about why it was so important for everyone to participate in the Fly-In. As it turns out, they were about 2000% more effective and articulate than the blogger-in-chief in carrying the message (a low bar, we admit….) These folks are true believers — in manufacturing, that is — and it was great to be among them. All we can tell the Congress is to brace yourselves for when they arrive in June.

Thanks again to Steve Young and company (that includes new hires John Morgan and Kevin Ott) for their hospitality and for the invite.

Yesterday found the blogger-in-chief in Asheville, North Carolina at the beautiful and historic Grove Park Inn, speaking to Barb Higgens and the nice people at the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute at their annual Spring Meeting. These are the folks who make the stuff you find inside every American home (except maybe In West Virginia), like sinks, toilets, etc. Theirs are the brands you all know well: American Standard, Price Pfister, Moen, Delta Faucet, Elkay, Fluidmaster, Kohler, Whirlpool, and a bunch of other smaller manufacturers like NEOPERL who you may not have heard of, but who are just as central to the ins and outs (if you will) of plumbing.

In any event, they didn’t get the usual old time manufacturing religion speech but instead suffered through the blogger-in-chief bloviating about — what else? — blogging. We regaled them with all sorts of tales from the world’s oldest blogger. We are clearly zealots on the topic and are bilingual in that we are middle-aged but speak blog. They make some of the coolest stuff and with a little luck, we might have scored a few videos of “Cool Stuff Being Made” from this group.

A few folks came up to us afterward to chat and to tell us of some very cool innovations that they are developing as we speak. As details of those come through, we will post them here. We mentioned the late great Dick Kelch and his “Peacemaker.” These are every bit as cool — and useful.

We also mentioned Google’s April Fools’ joke, their “TISP“, beta wireless broadband access that first required the flushing of fiber optic cable down your toilet. We thought that would be right up their alley, and they clearly got a big charge out of it. maybe they’ll partner with Google on the beta testing of this important invention, make a hoax into reality. We also touched on our little April Fools prank which also ended up fooling more people that we ever thought, and showed once again the tremendous power of the blogosphere.

So thanks again to bagpiper extraordinaire Barb Higgens for the invite and for doing such a great job with PMI. She’s also incoming Chair of the NAM’s Council of Manufacturing Associations so we had to be extra special nice to her. Truth is, in Barb’s case it’s not hard.

A good day, great location, good to be among America’s leading manufacturers.

Down here for the NAM’s Annual Public Affairs Conference, a great agenda, turnout and lineup. Some highlights from yesterday:

More tomorrow.

As we noted yesterday, this week the blogger-in-chief is in Jacksonville, Florida for the NAM’s Annual Public Affairs Conference. But we did double duty yesterday, moseying on over to see the Mike Perry and the good folks from the Investment Casting Institute at their annual meeting here.

We told them we’d post our slides and here they are — who we are (manufacturing in the US), what we’re up against and what we need to do about it. They were engaged and motivated. We expect a bunch of Members of Congress to hear from ICI members, inviting them into their plants and talking to them about manufacturing, its importance and impact.

Got a question on card check, which enabled us to riff on that a bit. We must admit, the biggest problem with this issue is getting regular Americans to believe that it’s a serious issue. At first blush, they simply cannot believe that Congress would pass a law throwing elections and democracy out the window. But then they hear it sailed through the House with 241 votes and they panic, get renewed vigor to contact their Senators. The ICI folks were no different. We expect a few letters to Senators on this topic. In fact, why not click here and send one now?

Thanks again to ICI for their great hospitality and their commitment to manufacturing.

Yesterday found the blogger-in-chief in the cold Kentucky rain of Frankfort Kentucky at the “Prosperous Kentucky” Summit hosted by the newly-named Kentucky Association of Manufacturers. Bravo to the KAM for inserting “Manufacturers” into their name, as they were formerly Associated Industries of Kentucky. Glad the new KAM decided to wear it proudly.

Kentucky, as you may not be aware, is a major manufacturing state, and there are tons of NAM members there. Manufacturing is responsible for some $26 billion — or 20% — of the state’s Gross Domestic Product, and a few hundred thousand jobs. The program opened with Kentucky Adjutant Gen. Donald Storm who gave just a great speech about the global war on terror — and the enormous contribution of the Kentucky National Guard — and referred to the assembled manufacturers as, “The folks who pay the bill.” There’s no doubt about that. They pay a lot of bills, send a lot of money up to Washington for them to spend on all sorts of stuff.

Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) was there, stole the blogger-in-chief’s thunder (not hard to do) by giving one of the most pro-manufacturing speeches we’ve ever heard. He correctly debunked a lot of myths about manufacturing in decline but gave a cautionary tale about the costs coming from Washington. When he finished, he was presented with the NAM’s Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence. In the 109th Congress, he voted with us a whopping 96% of the time. (Anyone who votes with us over 70% of the time gets the award, remember.) He not only talks the talk (heck, even John Edwards does that — and he scored 8%), he walks the walk, fighting every day for manufacturers, fighting to make us more competitive.

He was followed by Gov. Ernie Fletcher, another great friend of manufacturing. He recalled our work together on a bunch of issues when he was in Congress — also winning our award. A physician, he was at times a lone voice on such ill-advised legislation as the so-called Patient’s Bill of Rights, a voice that we sorely needed at the time. He has been tested of late in Kentucky, but his speech, too, was a reaffirmation of the importance of — and his commitment to — manufacturing. He’s a great Governor, has created lots of jobs during his tenure. Would that all governors were as conscious as Ernie Fletcher about creating a climate in their states that allows manufacturing to survive and prosper. And, he is one of the most decent men in politics today — a low bar, maybe, but he’s a great guy.

All in all it was a great event and a great day. We even ran into our old buddy Rich Gimmel, President of Atlas Machine and Supply in Louisville. He handed us his card and tapped on the logo noting “A Century of Solutions.”

“It’s our hundredth year,” he said proudly, and deservedly so. Rich served a time in broadcast news before returning to the family business, but now — like all manufacturers — is just proud of his company and the stuff they make. It’s always great to be among manufacturers. These guys and gals power the economy, make prosperity wherever they go.

Thanks to Andy Meko of KAM for his hospitality and leadership. Through their ProsperousKentucky program, they are re-casting the image of manufacturing into what it truly is: The sector that drives the rest of the economy.

Today in that room, you couldn’t help but feel the manufacturing vibe.

Wednesday and Thursday found the blogger-in-chief in Beaumont, Texas for a few speeches and some related side trips. Beaumont is one of those places that is just so uniquely American. It’s all too easy to forget, having been in Washington, DC far too long that middle America is alive and well. They started every meeting with a prayer, the pledge (and even the Texas pledge!) and is just one great big small town. Hard hit by Hurricane Rita, they have bounded back with a vengeance. Thanks to some great leadership by a good Mayor, Guy Goodson, and a very supportive Chamber of Commerce and Regional Planning Commission, they have not only come back up off the mat after the hurricane but have attracted an astounding $10 billion of investment and expansions. Many a state would covet Beaumont’s record on this front. They did it by cooperating among various agencies and the private sector and by creating a climate for business. (California, are you listening….?) Big problem now is finding workers to handle all the work, a problem common to most manufacturers.

In any event, we promised them we would link to our slides and here they are. Thanks to Mayor Goodwin for his kind remarks and to Chamber President Jim Rich for his leadership and his hospitality. We even took a side trip to a CBI facility, a 70+-acre site that’s being rehabbed — right on the Neches River — and being turned into a fabrication plant from which stuff will be loaded on to ships and sent all over the world — from small but mighty Beaumont, Texas. Thanks to Sharon Dauterive of CBI for a grand tour of this facility that embodies the turnaround in Beaumont, and serves as a model for us all that when it comes to powering the economy, manufacturing leads the way.