Image by Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg toured a North Dakota drilling rig on Tuesday. The Facebook boss peppered industry workers in the No. 2 U.S. oil-producing state with questions about automation, safety and fracking — but forgot to wear his goggles.

The visit to North Dakota, which pumps about 1.1 million barrels of oil per day – more than some OPEC members – is part of Zuckerberg’s plan to tour all 50 states this year and learn about their local economies and communities.

While Zuckerberg, 33, is a vocal supporter of renewable energy development, he said the visit gave him an alternative perspective.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“Many people I talked to here acknowledged (climate change), but also feel a sense of pride that their work contributes to serving real needs we all have every day – keeping our homes warm, getting to work, feeding us and more,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post early Wednesday morning.

In a picture accompanying the Facebook post, Zuckerberg can be seen wearing the oilfield uniform of fire-resistant coveralls and a hard hat. He is not wearing safety glasses or gloves but holds them in his left hand, a violation of rig safety rules.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount