Energy-rich North Dakota and Texas had the fastest-growing state economies in 2014, but that booming growth could be reversed this year. North Dakota’s gross domestic product expanded 6.3% last year and the Texas economy advanced 5.2%, the Commerce Department said Wednesday as part of its annual accounting of state economies . Those growth rates were more than twice as strong as the nation’s 2.2% expansion. Two other states, West Virginia and Wyoming, topped 5% growth. Colorado ranked fifth with a 4.7% expansion. Each of the top five states was propelled by mining, an industry category that includes oil and natural-gas extraction. Mining “was not a significant contributor” to economic growth for U.S. overall, the Commerce Department said. But “this industry was a large contributor in the five fastest-growing states.” Those states, however, could be challenged to continue that growth pace because oil prices have moderated. A year ago, oil […]