"Opening up our own economy is not enough," Dr. Jeremy Jackson, head of North Dakota State University's Center for the Study of Public Choice and Private Enterprise, said on this episode of Plain Talk. "We need other places to open up."

Jackson is the author of a new forecast for North Dakota's economy which has some grim findings. During the interview, he notes that North Dakota is an export state. Our primary industries produce goods which are then sold outside of the state, and often outside of the country.

Without that outside demand, it's going to be hard for North Dakota's economy to recover.

What can state policymakers do to address this situation? "I don't know what policy can get us out of this mess we're in," he said.

"We need some contingency plans," he added.