Hoeven Advancing Priorities Critical to North Dakota’s Economy

WEST FARGO, N.D. – At a roundtable with members of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce today, Senator John Hoeven outlined his efforts to advance key priorities for North Dakota. Among other efforts, Hoeven is working to: Strengthen U.S. agriculture and help farmers and ranchers maintain their operations through current challenges by working to: Pass the Farm Bill 2.0, legislation that builds upon the farm safety net improvements Hoeven secured in the Working Families Tax Cut Act. Provide $12 billion in additional agriculture assistance, which is included in the budget reconciliation package being considered by Congress. Hoeven worked closely with President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to ensure additional assistance was included in the next round of reconciliation. Secure a Section 301 investigation to help protect U.S. sugar producers from unfair and discriminatory trade practices. The senator continues his efforts with U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer to initiate the investigation into unfair trading practices by foreign trading partners and address inadequate high-tier tariffs, which are failing to prevent foreign-produced sugar from being dumped on the U.S. market. Advance Crack the Code 2.0, his initiative to double both oil recovery in the Bakken and the life of North Dakota’s coal-fired power plants. The initiative’s first phase is supported by $157 million in funding, which includes $36 million Hoeven secured from the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as $76 million in private investment and $45.1 million in state funding. Phase one will develop large-scale pilot projects to advance the technical and commercial viability of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Bakken, using CO2 from coal-fired power plants to increase the productivity of oil wells. This provides an additional revenue stream to support the reliable baseload power provided by coal producers, while unlocking at least 5 billion additional barrels of oil in the Bakken. Supporting the construction of critical infrastructure like the Eastern North Dakota Alternate Water Supply (ENDAWS) Project. Hoeven recently secured committee approval of his Dakota Water Resources Act (DWRA) Amendments legislation, which would increase authorizations under the Municipal, Rural, and Industrial (MR&I) water supply grant program for North Dakota and the five Tribal Nations in the state. Hoeven’s bill would ensure sufficient funding is available to complete ongoing water supply projects, including the Northwest Area Water Supply Project (NAWS) and ENDAWS. This builds on the two awards totaling $158 million that Hoeven secured earlier this year for ENDAWS. “In recent months, we’ve made tremendous headway on issues important to our state. Agriculture is a great example. The policies we’ve secured in the Senate’s Farm Bill will help maintain our nation’s network of small, family-based farms, which is critical to our food security. This legislation contains more than 100 bipartisan bills, including provisions I authored that will make a real difference for North Dakota producers, which come in addition to the $12 billion in agriculture assistance we’re working to pass through reconciliation,” said Hoeven. “We also continue moving forward on my Crack the Code 2.0 initiative, part of our efforts to realize the potential of our abundant coal and oil reserves and make the U.S. truly energy dominant. At the same time, we’ve provided $158 million for ENDAWS, and I’m advancing legislation to ensure we have the federal support needed to bring this project to completion. In these and other ways, we are advancing policies important to our state’s economy across the board.” Securing North Dakota Priorities in Farm Bill 2.0 As a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Hoeven is working to secure committee approval of the Senate’s Farm Bill 2.0. The legislation further strengthens the farm safety net, while investing in agriculture research, expanding support for specialty crops and authorizing the year-round sale of E15. The farm bill also includes the following Hoeven-authored provisions important to North Dakota producers: The PACE Act – Increases Farm Service Agency direct and guaranteed loan limits. The BINS Act – Adds fertilizer storage and handling infrastructure as eligible facilities under the Farm Storage Facility Loan Program. The SCALE Act – Provides matching grants to support state-led soil health and wildlife habitat programs, like Governor Armstrong’s Legacy Soil Health and Habitat Program. Prairie Dog Management – Provides greater certainty for grazing permittees by preventing prairie dog colonies from expanding beyond reasonable levels. MCOOL – Includes an amendment based on Hoeven-sponsored legislation that requires mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. Joint Chiefs Program – Reauthorizes the program, which has provided more than $3.2 million for partnerships with private landowners to help improve and restore grasslands in North Dakota. Farm Ownership and Improvement Act – Establishes a pilot program for pre-approval and pre-qualification of FSA Direct Farm Ownership loans. Dry Edible Beans Study – Authorizes USDA to study the potential inclusion of dry edible beans as a Title I commodity. Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) – Clarifies non-adult cattle weight categories by establishing in statute, payment categories for calves weighing less than 400 pounds and 400 pounds or more. Fargo-Moorhead Crop Insurance Fix – Protects producers impacted by operation of the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Project by excluding affected years from Actual Production History (APH) calculations. -###-