Energy Roundtable In The Bakken

Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, held a roundtable discussion with Bakken energy producers in western North Dakota to review ongoing developments in the region’s energy industry and outline his efforts to maintain America’s leadership in energy production. To this end, Hoeven is working to:

Secure approval for WBI Energy’s North Bakken Expansion Project from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Push back on the Biden administration’s executive actions targeting U.S. domestic energy production, including oil, gas and coal development on federal lands.
Ensure the reliability of the electric grid by supporting the continued use of baseload power sources, like coal.
- This includes cracking the code on carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies.

“North Dakota built the right kind of legal, tax and regulatory environment needed to unleash innovation and realize the potential of the Bakken region,” said Hoeven. “This has led to a strong economy, created good-paying jobs and made America a global energy powerhouse. We need to build on this progress to ensure our continued economic and national security. However, the Biden administration is headed in the wrong direction, reviving burdensome regulations, locking away taxpayer-owned energy resources and threatening tax increases that put our nation at a competitive disadvantage. This has serious consequences for local economies, increases prices for consumers and reduces needed revenues to state, tribal and local governments. That’s why we will continue our efforts to press back on duplicative federal rules and unilateral actions like these from the administration, and instead work in bipartisan fashion to advance new innovations, like CCUS, that empower us to produce more energy with better environmental stewardship.”

North Bakken Expansion Project

Hoeven is working to secure approval for WBI Energy’s proposed $260 million natural gas expansion project, which will help reduce natural gas flaring in the Bakken by providing an additional 250 million cubic feet per day of natural gas takeaway capacity for operators in the region. Accordingly, Hoeven has led efforts with the North Dakota delegation in expressing their support for the project to FERC and urging the agency to take timely action on the project before its next scheduled meeting. Doing so would help keep the project on schedule and ensure the pipelines are in service by November 1, 2021.

Addressing the Administration’s Executive Actions

Hoeven’s work on the WBI expansion project aligns with his ongoing efforts to support the infrastructure and energy development needed to strengthen the nation’s economic and national security. To this end, the senator has:

Worked to maintain the operation of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).
- Hoeven has been pressing Army Corps leadership to keep the pipeline flowing as the Corps completes its environmental impact statement (EIS) process.
- The senator is also supporting MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox in his request for the tribe to be consulted on DAPL.
Pressed the Interior Secretary for answers on the administration’s oil and gas moratorium and questioned limitations placed on public participation in a recent virtual forum on the matter.
- Hoeven also helped introduce legislation to prohibit the administration from issuing moratoria on leasing and permitting for energy and mineral resources on federal lands.
Helped introduce legislation, along with Senator Cramer and Congressman Armstrong, to authorize the continued construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline following President Biden’s decision to revoke the cross-border operation permit.

Ensuring the Reliability of the Electric Grid

Hoeven has been pressing FERC to ensure coal’s role as a reliable source of baseload power is properly valued, outlining the need to maintain diverse sources of electricity. At the same time, the senator continues supporting the development of CCUS technologies to help produce more energy from coal-fired electric, while also reducing emissions. His efforts include:

Getting the 45Q tax credit implemented in a way that makes CCUS projects more commercially-viable.
Securing funding in the Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations legislation for critical loan guarantee programs at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service to help CCUS project developers secure financing.
- This aligns with legislation Hoeven helped introduce to provide loans and grants to support construction of CCUS infrastructure.
Prioritizing enhancements for the 45Q and 48A Advanced Coal tax credits, which include his legislation to modernize the 48A tax credit for CO2 capture retrofit projects and a bipartisan bill he helped introduce to provide a direct payment option for the 45Q and 48A CCUS tax incentives.
Bolstering DOE’spartnership with UND’s Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) in support of efforts like Project Tundra.
- Hoeven has helped secure $43 million in federal funding for Project Tundra.

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