05.12.16

Hoeven: Senate Passes FY17 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

Includes Hoeven-Backed Provisions to Advance Flood Protection Projects, Support Nuclear Missile Updates, Support CO2 Capture Technology

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Senate has passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven worked to include important provisions and funding in the bill to support North Dakota priorities, including permanent flood control projects, updating the nation’s nuclear forces and energy technology research and development.

“The passage of the Energy and Water funding bill is a bipartisan accomplishment and stands as another example of the majority’s efforts to bring the Senate back to regular order,” Hoeven said. “We worked to ensure this bill supports local efforts in North Dakota to protect our communities from flooding, including in the Minot region and the Red River Valley; keep our nation safe by maintaining a strong nuclear deterrent; and support our nation’s energy security by developing innovative and commercially viable technologies to improve environmental stewardship.”

Corps Funding – The bill provides $6 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, nearly $1.4 billion more than the Corps’ FY17 budget request. Hoeven successfully included the following provisions that advance flood protection projects in the Minot and Fargo regions:
• A provision endorsing public-private partnerships (P3) and recommending that the Army Corps of Engineers continue to use P3 projects.
• $500,000 in funding for the Souris River Basin feasibility study, which matches the Corps’ FY2017 request.

MAFB Nuclear Forces – The W80 life extension received full funding at $220 million for the coming fiscal year. The program supports the refurbishment of the warheads for the Air Force’s nuclear cruise missiles, which are carried on the B-52s at Minot Air Force Base (MAFB).

CO2 Sequestration Technology – The bill includes $30 million toward the development of commercially viable carbon capture and sequestration technology (CCS), which will allow for more energy production with less emissions. Currently, Minnkota Power Cooperative and ALLETE Clean Energy are jointly working on a proposal to develop a carbon capture project that would be eligible to apply for funding.

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