06.20.16

Hoeven Stresses Need to Remove Roadblocks to Energy Infrastructure Development

Senator Highlights North Dakota’s Successes in Reducing Flaring, Safety & Environmental Benefits of Pipelines

WASHINGTON – At a hearing of the U.S. Senate Energy Committee last week, Senator John Hoeven drove home the importance of pipelines in providing the safe and efficient transportation of energy products. Hoeven stressed the need to remove roadblocks to private investment in pipeline infrastructure, such as natural gas gathering lines, and highlighted North Dakota’s success in deploying such infrastructure to reduce flaring. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), natural gas flaring has been greatly reduced in the state, falling from 36 percent in January 2014 to 10 percent in March 2016, despite increasing gas production.

“Pipelines are a safe and efficient means of transporting oil and gas from where they are produced to where they are consumed,” Hoeven said. “Updating and expanding our pipeline infrastructure means safer communities, better environmental stewardship, more energy production and good paying jobs. Those jobs aren’t just in construction. By making energy more affordable, such infrastructure helps create jobs across industries, especially energy-intensive industries like manufacturing. That is why we need to support policies and pass legislation, like our North American Energy Infrastructure Act and others, to empower investment in this infrastructure.”

Through his roles on the Energy and Appropriations Committees, Hoeven continues his efforts to implement a true, all-of-the-above energy policy for the nation, which includes supporting the development of America’s energy infrastructure. Last year, Hoeven and Senator Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) introduced the North American Energy Infrastructure Act, legislation that will prevent unnecessarily protracted delays for important energy infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, electrical transmission lines and natural gas pipelines.

Hoeven also joined a bipartisan group of his Senate colleagues to reintroduce the Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act, legislation that sets deadlines for and expedites the permitting of natural gas gathering lines on federal and Indian land. At the same time, the senator continues to work through annual funding bills to address permitting and right-of-way application delays at the Bureau of Land Management.

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