Hoeven Marks Grand Opening of Renovated NDAREC HQ, New Facility Enabling Year-Round Lineworker Training
Senator Outlines Efforts to Maintain Affordability & Reliability of Electrical Grid, Secure Future of Coal in Nation’s Energy Mix
MANDAN, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today marked the grand opening of the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) and Bismarck State College’s (BSC) new lineworker training facility in Mandan. The more than 26,000 sq. ft. facility will build on the 50 years of partnership between the college and NDAREC. It includes an indoor training area with 44-foot ceiling clearance to enable year-round lineworker training. NDAREC’s main facility was also renovated as part of the project, providing additional capacity for meetings, education and training to support the operations of its cooperative members.
The project was funded by a $4 million federal grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and more than $1 million in matching funds from local electric cooperatives. Hoeven joined then-Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in announcing the grant when it was awarded in 2020.
“Due to the hard work of our electric cooperatives and energy producers, who provide low-cost, dependable electricity 24 hours per day, seven days a week, North Dakotans can have confidence that the lights and heat will stay on,” said Hoeven. “We can never take that for granted, especially as we move closer to the winter months. That’s why we continue to push back on the harmful Biden administration policies that undermine our nation’s energy security. At the same time, North Dakota is leading the way in developing innovative new technologies, like CCUS, that will empower us to continue utilizing all of America’s abundant energy resources, including our vast coal reserves, to ensure access to affordable and reliable power.”
The new facility aligns with Hoeven’s efforts to ensure the reliability and affordability of the electrical grid. To this end, the senator is pushing back on burdensome and costly regulations being advanced by the Biden administration, while also working to secure coal’s future in the nation’s energy mix. This includes:
- Advancing efforts to crack the code on carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies. Hoeven has worked to secure North Dakota’s leadership for nearly 15 years, having:
- As governor, created a regulatory framework for carbon storage in the state.
- As U.S. Senator, secured approval of the state’s application for regulatory primacy over the use of Class VI wells for geologic storage of CO2. North Dakota was the first of only two states to have this authority.
- Worked to implement and enhance the 45Q tax credit, one of the most important incentives to make CCUS projects commercially-viable, among other priorities.
- Supporting a successful legal challenge against the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to issue burdensome, sector-wide regulations that force states to change their fuel sources for electricity generation.
- Hoeven previously worked to advance the implementation of, and voted to uphold, the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, which replaced the costly one-size-fits-all emissions regulations for coal power plants.
- Sponsoring legislation to prohibit the president from issuing moratoria on leasing and permitting for energy and mineral resources, including coal, on federal lands.
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