News Releases
Hoeven, Heitkamp Announce Water Project Appropriations for Fargo, Minot Included in Corps Work Plan
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp today announced that the Army Corps' FY14 work plan includes $6.3 million to complete the planning, engineering and design (PED) of the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion. The work plan also includes $2.5 million for a sanitary sewer extension project in Minot to service the Crystal Springs and Beaver Creek developments, along with opening up additional acres for development of residential housing. Hoeven, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations C… Continue Reading
03.03.14
Hoeven: Russia Must Respect Ukraine's Sovereignty
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today said Russia needs to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine and follow international law. Russia has no legitimate right to make incursions into Ukraine and breach that country's border, in spite of its perceived military and economic interests in Crimea and energy pipeline infrastructure to Europe. Hoeven said the United States can and should, along with its allies, pursue economic and diplomatic sanction against Russia unless it withdraws from Ukraine. Diplo… Continue Reading
02.28.14
Hoeven: Amtrak to Begin Normal Operations Saturday
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today said he has been notified that Amtrak will resume normal operations through Grand Forks, Devils Lake and Rugby in North Dakota Saturday, March 1. Because of increased rail traffic and a severe winter season, BNSF rerouted the westbound Empire Builder line to bypass Grand Forks, Devils Lake and Rugby, requiring passengers to be bused to and from Fargo and Minot. Eastbound traffic has maintained its usual route along the state's northern tier. At a meeting … Continue Reading
02.28.14
Hoeven Welcomes EPA Administrator McCarthy to ND, Showcases State's Clean Coal Technologies, Good Environmental Stewardship
BEULAH, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today welcomed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy to North Dakota to highlight the state's high-tech energy development and good environmental stewardship. Hoeven, along with Senator Heidi Heitkamp and Congressman Keven Cramer, hosted McCarthy on a tour of the Dakota Gasification Company in Beulah to see the cutting-edge technologies the plant has developed to produce natural gas from coal. The facility not only produces gas from … Continue Reading
02.28.14
ICBM Coalition Senators Press DOD to Retain Silos
WASHINGTON - At a meeting Wednesday afternoon, members of the Senate ICBM Coalition, including Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), John Walsh (D-Mont.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), pressed Admiral James Winnefeld Jr., Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to retain missile silos in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. As members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven and Tester authored a provision in the Department of Defen… Continue Reading
02.26.14
Hoeven Announces New Agreement to Recruit and Retain Rural Postal Carriers in Western ND
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Postal Service has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Rural Letter Carriers Association that will grant pay increases and bonuses to recruit and retain rural carriers in the Bakken region, including Minot, Dickinson, Williston, Watford City and most of the communities in western North Dakota, effective May 17, 2014. The increases are designed to attract and retain rural carriers. In August 2013, Hoeven invit… Continue Reading
02.26.14
Hoeven Statement on Today's Inspector General Report Finding No Conflict of Interest
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement regarding the State Department's second inspector general (IG) report exonerating Environmental Resources Management (ERM), the consulting firm that completed the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Keystone XL pipeline project. "Today's Inspector General report makes clear that the Department of State did not violate its conflict of interest procedures in selecting ERM to conduct its environmental review of the Ke… Continue Reading
02.25.14
Hoeven, Heitkamp Announce North Dakota Delegates to U.S. Senate Youth Program
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp today announced the selection of students Bethany Berntson and Tyler Toepke-Floyd to serve as North Dakota delegates to the 52nd Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) scheduled to take place this March in Washington, D.C. This year's delegates were designated by Kirsten Baesler, Superintendent of Public Instruction, who selected the students from a list of nominees recommended by North Dakota teachers and principals. "We are proud… Continue Reading
02.25.14
Hoeven Joins Roberts, Tester, Bipartisan Group to Introduce Bill to Protect Rural Hospitals and Patients
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven Monday joined Senators Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) to introduce bipartisan legislation to protect rural Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and their patients by eliminating new "condition of payment" rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that require a physician to predict and limit a patients' stay to within 96 hours. The bill has 13 cosponsors. "Compelling doctors to predict at the outset that a patient needs to stay in… Continue Reading
02.21.14
Delegation Announces $450,000 CDBG Grant for Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp and Congressman Kevin Cramer today announced the awarding of a $450,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The CDBG Program for Indian Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages, administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is a competitive program to assist with housing infrastructure, promote a suitable living environment and create economic opportunities. The program is designed … Continue Reading
02.21.14
Hoeven: Freight Railroads To Implement New Voluntary Operating Practices for Rail Transport of Crude Oil
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, who has been working with federal regulators and railroad industry leaders, said today's announcement that the nation's major rail carriers will implement new voluntary operating practices for moving crude oil by rail is both a step in the right direction and a timely response to a serious concern. The announcement follows several meetings Hoeven had with Department of Defense Secretary Foxx, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) head… Continue Reading
02.20.14
Hoeven and Heitkamp Call on Defense Dept to Follow Law, Halt Environmental Study of ICBM Silos
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp today called on the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to follow federal law and halt any move to conduct an environmental study of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos at Minot Air Force Base and nationwide, which could potentially lead to the removal of the missiles and closure of the silos. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven authored the provision in the Department of Defense appropriations bill… Continue Reading
02.19.14
Hoeven, Google Lead Internet Safety Program at Wachter Middle School
BISMARCK, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today joined Wachter Middle School students and school officials, North Dakota Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Kirsten Baesler and Google representatives to lead a program designed to educate students, educators and parents on ways to stay safe and secure when using the Internet. Today's Google-sponsored Online Safety Roadshow is part of the company's national online Good to Know initiative created specifically to better educate middle school … Continue Reading
02.19.14
Hoeven Statement on Today's Nebraska Court Decision Regarding Gov. Heineman's Approval of Revised Keystone XL Route
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after a Nebraska judge's ruling that the state Public Service Commission, rather than Governor Dave Heineman, has the authority to approve an alternative route through Nebraska for the Keystone XL pipeline project. "We have not yet reviewed today's court ruling, but we recognize that Nebraska has to work through its process on this very important energy project for America. We believe, however, that the environmental concer… Continue Reading
02.18.14
Hoeven Stresses States' Water Rights at Annual Rural Water Expo
FARGO, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today stressed the need to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) and protect states' water rights at the 28th Annual Rural Water Expo. The North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association (NDRWSA) hosted the annual event in Fargo. "Clean and abundant water for both residential and business uses is fundamental to any community, which is why the work you do across North Dakota to improve the quality of our rural water supply is so important," Hoeven said. "… Continue Reading
02.18.14
Hoeven Brings Together Local, State, Federal Officials to Build Grafton Flood Protection Plan
GRAFTON, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today led a meeting in Grafton to help advance a flood protection plan for the city. In attendance were city leaders, including Mayor Chris West and city council members, North Dakota state officials from the State Water Commission and the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, federal officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as representatives from Kadrmas, Lee and Jackson (KLJ), Moore … Continue Reading
02.18.14
Hoeven, Google Lead Internet Safety Program for Fargo Middle Schoolers
FARGO, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today joined Ben Franklin Middle School students and school officials, North Dakota Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Kirsten Baesler and Google representatives to lead a program designed to educate students, educators and parents on ways to stay safe and secure when using the Internet. Today's Google-sponsored Online Safety Roadshow is part of the company's national online Good to Know initiative created specifically to better educate middle schoo… Continue Reading
02.12.14
Hoeven: Senate Votes to Restore Military Retiree COLA
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today spoke on the Senate floor to rally bipartisan support to restore the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for military retirees, which was reduced in the budget agreement passed by Congress on December 18, 2013. The budget agreement reduced the retiree COLA by 1 percent until veterans reach the age of 62, at which time the adjustment would be restored. The policy was scheduled to take effect in December of 2015. The senator's speech came just ahead of the bipa… Continue Reading
02.12.14
Hoeven Statement on the Debt Ceiling
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement in response to the Senate vote to raise the U.S. debt ceiling: "I voted against the legislation to increase our debt ceiling today because it did not include savings or reforms to address the deficit and debt. The national debt has grown to $17.2 trillion, and we need to reduce it for the sake of our country today and for the well-being of future generations. "Under the Budget Control Act that Congress passed in 2011, we req… Continue Reading
02.11.14
Hoeven, Corker, GOP Senators to President: After Six Years, It's Time to Approve Keystone XL
WASHINGTON - In light of the fifth and final environmental impact statement (EIS) that cleared the way for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, Senators John Hoeven of North Dakota and Bob Corker of Tennessee today led all 45 Republican senators in writing to the President to again call for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. On January 31, the State Department released its final EIS on the Keystone XL pipeline that found the project would have no significant impact on the environment and … Continue Reading
