01.29.16

Hoeven Offers Amendments to New Energy Legislation to Promote Jobs, Economic Growth, National Security

Measure Reduces Regulatory Burden, Empowers Investment

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy Committee, today offered amendments to S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016, that will help to streamline energy regulations and advance coal ash recycling.

“To build the right kind of energy plan for our country, we need to both reduce the regulatory burden and build the energy infrastructure – the pipelines, transmission lines, roads and rail – that will help us to move energy around the country as safely as possible from where it’s produced in states like North Dakota,” Hoeven said. “My amendments go to a states-first approach that provides that certainty and empowers that investment.”

  • North American Energy Infrastructure Amendment (Amdt. 3039): Reduces the regulatory burden and streamlines the cross-border approval process to encourage the construction, operation, of maintenance of pipelines, electric transmission lines and other important energy infrastructure. It doesn’t alter the federal environmental review process, but sets time limits for agencies to make a decision once the NEPA process is completed.
  • Coal Ash Recycling Amendment (Amdt. 3038): Establishes a states-first approach to regulate the recycling as well as the safe disposal of coal ash. Currently, the EPA’s final rule sets standards for disposal that can only be enforced through citizen lawsuits, which creates uncertainty for the industry and higher energy costs for consumers.
  • Empower States Amendment (Amdt. 3037): Ensures that states retain the right to manage oil and gas production, gives them the authority to develop and enforce hydraulic fracturing rules rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach.

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