News Releases
Hoeven, Dalrymple, Saskatchewan Premier Wall Work to Enhance Downstream Flood Protection
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven and Governor Jack Dalrymple this morning spoke with Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall to discuss the management of three upstream Canadian dams in preparation for possible flooding in the Mouse River Basin during the spring of 2012. Canadian water authorities manage the operations of the Boundary, Rafferty and Alameda dams in the Province of Saskatchewan, upstream of Minot and other North Dakota communities. "We are working with Premier Wall and Canadian authoritie… Continue Reading
11.29.11
Hoeven: Senate Passes Amendment Putting National Guard Head on Joint Chiefs of Staff
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven this evening said a measure he cosponsored to make the Chief of the National Guard Bureau a statutory member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has passed as an amendment to the Defense Reauthorization Bill, which is now on the floor of the U.S. Senate. The Senator was a cosponsor of the National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act, which more closely incorporates the nation's 450,000 National Guard members into the country's military force st… Continue Reading
11.29.11
Hoeven: EPA Not Planning a Moratorium on Fracking in ND
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today said the Environmental Protection Agency has clarified that it is not planning a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in North Dakota. The agency will, however, provide guidelines that state regulators can use to draft rules governing the use of diesel fuel in fracking under the Safe Drinking Water Act. In a conference call arranged by Senator Hoeven, EPA officials Cynthia Dougherty, Director of the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, an… Continue Reading
11.22.11
Hoeven: Fill the Dome Campaign Shows Leadership of Fargo-Area Youth, Generosity of Local Community
FARGO, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today commended Fargo-area youth for their hard work and dedication to Fill the Dome, a youth-led initiative to collect enough food donations to cover the entire floor of the Fargodome. Hoeven joined local leaders and student organizers at a news conference this morning to highlight the campaign and the results of the fifth-annual food drive. "For the past five years, local students have led this effort to stock the shelves of our state's food pantries and prov… Continue Reading
11.21.11
Hoeven: Federal Flood Assistance For North Dakota to Exceed $1 Billion
MINOT - Senator John Hoeven today took the occasion of his Library of Congress book donation ceremony to update local leaders and the community on federal flood assistance funding for the state of North Dakota and the Minot region. Based on state estimates, North Dakota is expected to receive more than $1 billion in federal disaster assistance. The Minot area has received almost $400 million from all federal programs, and additional funding is pending. Hoeven provided North Dakotans with an up… Continue Reading
11.21.11
Sen. John Hoeven Statement on the Announcement Today That the Joint Select Committee Was Unable to Reach Agreement
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement in response to today's announcement that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction was unable to reach agreement on a deficit reduction plan: "The Joint Select Committee's announcement today that it was unable to reach agreement on a deficit reduction plan does not alter the fact that our nation continues to face serious financial challenges. That is a view shared by both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. … Continue Reading
11.21.11
Hoeven Donates Books to Minot Public Schools
MINOT, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today donated 285 books to Minot Public Schools in recognition of the school community's resilience throughout the flood event earlier this year. Hoeven's office selected the books through the Surplus Books Program of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. "Despite tremendous amounts of damage to Minot's public schools, the community has worked successfully to save its school libraries. These books are helping our schools and students take one more step to… Continue Reading
11.19.11
Hoeven: Adoptive Families Have Much To Be Thankful For
GRAND FORKS, ND - Senator John Hoeven and his wife Mikey congratulated five North Dakota families who finalized adoptions this morning at the Grand Forks County Courthouse during National Adoption Day, and said that the newly expanded families have much to be thankful for as they look ahead to Thanksgiving. The Hoevens attended the annual event, which was being held for the third year in Grand Forks. "A loving family is the greatest gift we can have, and today adoption has made that possible fo… Continue Reading
11.18.11
Hoeven Announces Fedorchak as New State Director
BISMARCK, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today announced that he has named Julie Fedorchak as his new state director. Fedorchak has been the senator's deputy state director since January 2011 when he took office. She is replacing Shane Goettle, who left his position Tuesday to pursue other opportunities. A North Dakota native, Fedorchak was born in Williston, grew up in Fargo and graduated from high school in Bismarck. She completed a journalism degree from the University of North Dakota and has 21… Continue Reading
11.18.11
Hoeven: New 'Super 2' Lanes Will Increase Travel Ease, Safety in Western North Dakota
WATFORD CITY, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today joined state and local officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of a project to "Super 2" a 40-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 85 between Watford City and Williston on U.S. Highway 85. As governor, Hoeven worked with the North Dakota Department of Transportation to develop a plan that would initially "Super 2" Highway 85 with the goal of eventually expanding it to a four-lane highway. The NDDOT project, which began in June, added… Continue Reading
11.17.11
Congressional Delegation Urges HUD Secretary to Target CDBG Funds to Minot
WASHINGTON - Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and Congressman Rick Berg today urged the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to direct disaster relief funding to Minot and other North Dakota communities impacted by spring flooding. Later today, Congress is expected to give final approval to $400 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for states that have experienced severe natural disasters this year. Senators Conrad and Hoeven successfully pushed f… Continue Reading
11.17.11
Hoeven, Blunt Push Amendments to Strengthen Flood Protection
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) late Wednesday spoke on the Senate floor to press for two amendments they're cosponsoring to strengthen flood protections. The first would redirect funding the Army Corps of Engineers uses for such purposes as building sandbars on the Missouri River to flood protection efforts instead this year. A second amendment would streamline the federal approval process involved in repairing and reconstructing levees and taking other f… Continue Reading
11.17.11
Hoeven Statement on Death of State Sen. Fischer
BISMARCK, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven and his wife Mikey extended their condolences today to the family and friends of North Dakota State Senator Tom Fischer, who died yesterday. "Tom was a good legislator, a good business owner, and, above all, a good man. He was a dedicated state leader on water issues and worked to find solutions to the Fargo region's annual flood fight. A true public servant, Tom strove to build consensus on issues important to him, especially when it came to flo… Continue Reading
11.17.11
Tesoro CEO Goff Meets with Hoeven to Discuss Company's Expansion Plans
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today met with Tesoro CEO Greg Goff to review the company's major expansion plans in North Dakota, including a $35 million, 10,000-barrel-per-day expansion of its Mandan refinery and a new rail project to ship North Dakota crude to its Anacortes, Washington facility. The refinery expansion will push refinery capacity to 68,000 barrels-a-day, which will be supplied by Bakken oil through its High Plains Pipeline system. Construction is expected to be completed … Continue Reading
11.16.11
Hoeven Presses Dept. of Energy to Build Partnerships Between Traditional and Renewable Energy Resources
WASHINGTON - Citing examples from North Dakota's energy industry, Senator John Hoeven said that the U.S. Department of Energy must do more to stimulate private investment in new technologies to get traditional and renewable energy sectors working together. Hoeven, speaking at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday, pressed U.S. Department of Energy Undersecretary for Science Dr. Steven Koonin for specific ways the agency's programs can encourage and develop tec… Continue Reading
11.16.11
Hoeven Encourages Super Committee to 'Go Big' To Reduce Deficit
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today joined a bipartisan group of members of both the U.S. House and Senate at a press conference to urge again the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to "go big" as they work to cut the U.S. deficit and debt. The senator is among 147 legislators - 45 Senators and 102 Representatives - who are calling for the 12-member, bicameral joint select committee to create a comprehensive plan to reduce the deficit and debt. The joint select committee faces a Nov… Continue Reading
11.14.11
Hoeven: New EID Passport Tech Center Continues State's Economic Growth and Diversification
MINOT, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today said that Eid Passport, Inc.'s recent investment in Minot is a good example of the state's growing and diversifying economy. Eid Passport, a security-based technology company, is creating more than 40 jobs at a newly established tech support center in Minot. Hoeven spoke today, along with company officials and state and local leaders, at a ceremony to dedicate the facility. "Eid Passport and our nation's technology companies provide good jobs … Continue Reading
11.14.11
Delegation Announces Agreement on $400 Million in CDBG Funding for Disaster Recovery
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Kent Conrad and Congressman Rick Berg today announced that the Joint U.S. House-Senate Conference Committee has approved $400 million in disaster Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for North Dakota and other states that have experienced severe natural disasters this year. This conference agreement on the FY 2012 Agriculture, Commerce/Justice/Science, Transportation/Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Appropriations Bill now heads to the House a… Continue Reading
11.14.11
Conrad, Hoeven, Dalrymple Say North Dakota is the Key to U.S. Energy Independence
BISMARCK - Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and Governor Jack Dalrymple praised North Dakota's potential to serve as an energy hub for the nation today as they welcomed researchers, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and industry leaders to a two-day conference at Bismarck State College's National Energy Center of Excellence. Industry leaders gathered in North Dakota's Capital City to discuss some of North Dakota's - and the nation's - most pressing energy issues. "North Dakota has the potential… Continue Reading
11.14.11
Hoeven: United Pulse's Expansion Signals New Agribusiness Opportunity for Minot
MINOT, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven joined United Pulse Trading in announcing plans to expand its pulse production operation to Minot. As governor, he worked with North Dakota's Department of Commerce, local officials and executives from United Pulse Trading's parent company to bring the company to North Dakota, a leading producer of pulses, like lentils, peas and chickpeas. This collaboration was part of Hoeven's efforts to expand agribusiness throughout the state as part of North Dakota's strate… Continue Reading
