U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) on Feb. 17 proposed legislation that would improve permitting for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of a border-crossing facility for the import or export of oil or natural gas or the transmission of electricity across an international border of the United States.
“A president shouldn’t have the power to unilaterally cancel a project because of politics like President Biden did with the Keystone XL Pipeline,” Rep. Armstrong said. “To be energy independent, we need to give our producers and allies regulatory certainty, not leave them subject to the whims of whatever administration happens to be in office. This bill provides clarity and will help North Dakota and our country remain an energy powerhouse.”
Rep. Armstrong sponsored the Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act, H.R. 1058, with 11 GOP original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Bob Latta (R-OH), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Steve Womack (R-AR), and Stephanie Bice (R-OK).
If enacted, H.R. 1058 aims to encourage and promote the construction of energy infrastructure across the border with America’s North American neighbors. Under the legislation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) would be authorized to review applications for cross-border oil and natural gas pipelines, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) would be authorized to review applications for cross-border electric transmission facilities, according to the text of the bill.
In consultation with appropriate federal agencies, FERC and DOE would issue a certificate of crossing for the border-crossing facility unless they found that the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of the facility is not in the public interest of the United States, the text of H.R. 1058 says.