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Steve and Connie Ballmer are splitting their $8 billion philanthropy into three so the people closest to the work can decide how the money is spent

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john oliver

John Oliver on North Dakota’s shale fields

By
Ben Geier
Ben Geier
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By
Ben Geier
Ben Geier
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October 12, 2015, 4:15 PM ET
Courtesy of HBO
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Since it debuted in 2014, John Oliver’s show Last Week Tonight has provided Americans with in-depth comedic looks on all sorts of topics. This week, Oliver—one of Fortune’s 40 Under 40 for 2015—took on a topic some people may not know much about: the impact the shale oil fields boom and bust has had in North Dakota.

Oliver looked at both the good—job creation, and increased economic activity—and the bad, such as environmental catastrophes, and lax regulations leading to numerous deaths.

And it’s not just the oil companies that get the back of Oliver’s hand here. He also takes to task the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for having only eight inspectors for the whole of both North and South Dakota.

For more on the potential bust of these boomtowns, read this feature from earlier this year by Fortune’s Jennifer Reingold.

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