09.21.17

Hoeven: MDU Investing In $14 Million Energy Infrastructure, Will Provide Bobcat & Gwinner Region with Reliable, Affordable Energy

GWINNER, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today joined Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) and Bobcat in announcing a new contract to invest nearly $14 million in natural gas service in southeastern North Dakota. The pipeline is expected to run 21 miles from the Alliance pipeline near Milnor, North Dakota, to Bobcat’s production facility in Gwinner.

“Reliable and affordable energy is critical to every family and business in our nation,” Hoeven said. “This is especially true for energy-intensive industries like manufacturing. Infrastructure projects like this support good jobs and help us continue our competitiveness in the global market. That’s why I am working to provide regulatory relief for our energy industry to help them produce and deliver energy safely, at a lower cost and with better environmental stewardship.”

As a member of the Senate Energy and Energy Appropriations Committees, Hoeven continues to advance legislation that will provide certainty for the energy industry and help develop much-needed infrastructure. This includes:

Preventing Permit Delays for Oil & Gas Wells – Last Congress, Hoeven introduced the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mineral Spacing Act, legislation that directs BLM to establish a pilot program to remove the requirement for a federal permit when 25 percent or less of the minerals are owned or held in trust by the federal government and there is no federal surface land.

Expediting Gas-Gathering Infrastructure – Hoeven has worked to reduce natural gas flaring by addressing the BLM’s backlog of permit applications for gas-gathering infrastructure and pressing for workable, state-led regulations. The senator helped introduce the bipartisan Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act last Congress, which sets deadlines for and expedites the permitting of natural gas gathering lines on federal and Indian land.

Streamlining Approval of Cross-Border Infrastructure – Hoeven is working to advance legislation similar to the North American Energy Infrastructure Act, which he introduced last Congress. This would prevent unnecessary delays for important energy infrastructure projects like pipelines and electrical transmission lines that cross the national boundaries between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico.

Hoeven’s efforts dovetail with a recent executive order signed by the president to streamline the environmental review and permitting process for major infrastructure projects. The order implements a single, streamlined federal decision policy, begins a review of the entire permitting process and make clear that environmental protections will be maintained by focusing on good outcomes, rather than the bureaucratic process.

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