U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) continues to work diligently to help build North Dakota’s role as an energy powerhouse, the lawmaker told attendees to West River Telecom’s 70th Annual Meeting held on June 3 in Hazen, N.D.
For instance, to support North Dakota’s rural communities and ensure they remain competitive in the global economy, Sen. Hoeven is working to advance greater access to high-speed broadband service in rural areas and to empower cooperatives like West River Telecom to continue investing in their communities.
“Our electric and telecommunications cooperatives are essential to our high quality of life in North Dakota, and we continue working to ensure their future success,” Sen. Hoeven said.
This includes the senator’s support for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and implementation of the technology at Coal Creek Station and Project Tundra, as well as expanded use of CCUS at the Dakota Gasification Company’s (DGC) Great Plains Synfuels Plant.
The DGC project will be the largest coal-based CCUS project in the world and it will be the first to utilize both enhanced oil recovery and geologic storage, according to information provided by Sen. Hoeven’s office.
The lawmaker also supports having the 45Q carbon capture tax credit implemented in a way that provides a revenue stream to make CCUS projects more commercially viable, and he continues to prioritize enhancements for both the 45Q and 48A Advanced Coal tax credits to provide revenue streams for CCUS projects.
“By cracking the code on CCUS technologies, including the projects at Coal Creek, Project Tundra and DGC, our state will secure the future of our coal industry and help maintain the affordability and reliability of our electric grid,” said the senator.
As the lead Republican on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, Sen. Hoeven also has secured nearly $3 billion across fiscal years 2018-2022 for the ReConnect Program, a federal rural broadband loan and grant pilot program.
Sen. Hoeven said he is working through the ReConnect program and other efforts to expand rural broadband, “which supports North Dakota’s role as a hub of tech entrepreneurship, while also giving cooperatives the tools they need to enhance the services they provide to homes and businesses across North Dakota.”
Additionally, Sen. Hoeven is a cosponsor of the bipartisan, bicameral Flexible Financing for Rural America Act, S. 978/H.R. 2244, introduced in March 2021 in his chamber by U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) to allow electric cooperatives and small, rural telecommunications providers to refinance their Rural Utilities Service debt at current market rates without penalty.
In turn, the senator said that rural cooperatives and businesses would have flexibility in managing their cash flow, allowing them to invest in rural communities and pass savings on to customers.