10.14.14

Hoeven Working to Build a True All-of-the-Above National Energy Plan That Puts States First

Senator Kicks off Great Plains, EmPower ND Conference

BISMARCK, N.D. – At the eighth annual Great Plains & EmPower ND Energy Conference today, Senator John Hoeven drove home the importance of building a true states-first, all-of-the-above national energy policy like the one he led in North Dakota, and he outlined a comprehensive range of energy legislation he has authored to help the country do the same. Together, the United States and its closest friend and ally Canada can achieve true energy independence and wean ourselves from reliance on Middle Eastern oil, but we need to empower our domestic energy industry, Hoeven said.

“North Dakota stands as an example of what we can accomplish when we take a comprehensive approach to energy development and build a healthy business climate, like we did with EmPower ND,” Hoeven said. “Those efforts to create a pro-business legal, tax and regulatory environment have produced tremendous benefits, raising our standard of living, keeping unemployment low and generating a budget surplus for the future. We continue to push for those same policies nationally by implementing a comprehensive plan for federal energy development that lets states lead the way in developing all of their energy resources without picking winners and losers.”

As governor of North Dakota, Hoeven built a comprehensive energy plan, EmPower ND, which lent its name to today’s summit. EmPower ND promotes all of the state’s energy resources in tandem and encourages various energy sectors, like the coal and wind generated electricity industries, to work together. As a U.S. Senator, Hoeven has worked to bring that same all-of-the-above approach to the federal government. To that end, the senator has introduced comprehensive legislation that will create jobs and boost the national economy.

  • Approving the Keystone XL Pipeline – In May, Senator Hoeven filed an updated version of his legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project, and the bill currently has 57 supporters in the Senate. Hoeven said he believes the bill will have the 60 votes needed for congressional approval after the November election. Last month marked the sixth anniversary of the project’s original application for a presidential permit.
  • North American Energy Infrastructure Act – This bill will prevent unnecessarily protracted delays for important energy infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL pipeline. It eliminates the Presidential Permit requirement for projects crossing the national boundary between the United States and Canada or Mexico and puts the decision into the hands of appropriate agencies, while imposing time limits on those agencies.
  • Empower States Act – This legislation would ensure that states retain the right to manage oil and gas production and gives them the ability to develop hydraulic fracturing rules and to respond first to any violation. Hoeven said the individual states are the first and best responders to oil and gas issues because they know their land and have a stake in protecting their environment. Hoeven emphasized that states have been successful in developing oil and gas production with good environmental stewardship.
  • Domestic Energy and Jobs Act (DEJA) – DEJA is a wide-ranging package of 12 diverse energy bills that addresses both traditional and renewable development, designed to streamline and simplify regulations, boost domestic energy supplies, build American energy infrastructure and safeguard America’s supply of critical minerals. Among other things, the legislation requires the Interior Secretary to establish an all-of-the-above energy program for federal lands by reviewing the nation’s energy needs and then establishing goals for federal land energy production to meet those needs from all energy sources, including oil, natural gas, coal and renewables.
  • Electricity Security and Affordability Act – This legislation was introduced by Senators Hoeven and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in response to the EPA’s proposed carbon dioxide regulations for existing coal-based power plants. The bill protects existing plants by requiring that the EPA provide Congress with the text of any rule that would impact existing power plants, the economic impacts of such a rule and the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduced by the rule compared to overall global GHG emissions. The bill also prevents any such rule from taking effect until Congress passes legislation setting the effective date for the rule.
  • North Atlantic Energy Security Act – This bill reduces flaring, provides for good environmental stewardship and enhances national security by ensuring America’s allies have access to much-needed liquid natural gas (LNG). It cuts the red tape holding up energy production and infrastructure development by streamlining onshore production permits for oil and gas, expediting natural gas gathering systems and expediting LNG exports to Ukraine, NATO Countries and Japan.

The daylong, premier energy conference was held today at the National Energy Center of Excellence at Bismarck State College. The conference, which is hosted by North Dakota’s congressional delegation and governor, Bismarck State College, Great Plains Energy Corridor, KLJ and the North Dakota Department of Commerce, featured policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders.