Happy Monday!
Dear Fellow Republicans,
We wanted to provide you with a roundup of everything you might have missed from North Dakota’s great Republican leaders this past week. Please share with family and friends!
Perrie Schafer, NDGOP Chairman
Photo of the Week
RNC
TI wanted to bring this great series that the RNC has been doing with GOP leaders. One of the most recent interviews is with RNC Chairwoman McDaniel and former RNC Finance Chairman Pete Ricketts – a true American success story. One thing is clear from their discussion: the RNC is fighting hard in the upcoming midterms. Check out the episode here. – Perrie Schafer
North Dakota
Burgum says new vehicle emission tracking rules could backfire
The Center Square
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is proposing a new greenhouse gas performance management measure to help states assess how they are reducing vehicle emissions, according to a news release from the USDOT. States would be able to set their own goals for reducing vehicle emissions. States would report their progress biennially…Burgum called the rule “unnecessary and overreaching.” “The proposed rule burdens states with unnecessary regulation, may jeopardize future federal funding vital to North Dakota and will force or pressure states to reallocate federal dollars away from critical state projects to federally preferred projects,” Burgum said in a statement. “In addition, it explicitly goes against last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that rightfully returned decision-making authority related to greenhouse gas emissions from the federal government to the states and Congress.”
Flags at half-staff for assassinated Japanese official
The Bismarck Tribune
Gov. Doug Burgum has directed government agencies to fly the U.S. and North Dakota flags at half-staff until sunset Sunday in remembrance of former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated Friday. The governor encourages North Dakotans to also lower flags at their homes and businesses. His directive is in accordance with a proclamation issued by President Joe Biden.Flags have been at half-staff since Tuesday in remembrance of the victims of Monday’s mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.
Field day set south of Mandan for leafy spurge-eating flea beetles
The Bismarck Tribune
A field day is set in Morton County on Tuesday to collect and redistribute flea beetles that eat leafy spurge. The event is at the wildlife management area south of Mandan, beginning at 10 a.m. Central time. Turn off Main Street onto state Highway 6 and go about 10 miles south, following the signs. People interested in acquiring some of the bugs to release on their own property can collect them from the established population at the site. “Leafy spurge continues to be one of North Dakota’s most difficult-to-control noxious weeds,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “Using the flea beetles for biological control, as part of an integrated pest management plan, has proven to be an effective tool in combating leafy spurge infestations.”
ND AG: Devils Lake health board violated open meeting law
Knox Radio
Wrigley ruled that the committee posted the notice on the Board’s Facebook page and website, but did not post it at the principal office… provide notice to the official newspaper… or include the info necessary for the public to join the call. Therefore, he said, the Board violated open meetings laws. Wrigley said the board must provide free copies of the minutes of the special meeting to a Devils Lake reporter who requested the A-G’s opinion…and anyone else who asks for them.
PSC approves enhanced oil recovery pilot project
The Bismarck Tribune
North Dakota’s Public Service Commission has approved a pilot project for enhanced oil recovery in the Bakken. Enhanced oil recovery involves injecting a substance — in this case natural gas — down a well to try to boost oil production. Continental Resources plans to build a 3.1-mile pipeline to bring natural gas from a WBI Energy transmission line to Continental’s Buddy Domingo oil wellpad in Williams County. PSC Chairman Julie Fedorchak said Continental will be using what’s been dubbed the “huff and puff” method for enhanced oil recovery, Prairie Public reported. “That means injecting solvent — that’s the ‘huff’ part,” Fedorchak said. “That takes about three months.” She said the “puff” describes when the oil and solvent flow back; that also will take a three-month period. “I believe they go through this process three or four times to complete it,” Fedorchak said.
Carrington mayor directs flags at half-staff for police chief
KFGO
Carrington Mayor Tom Erdmann is directing flags to be flown at half-staff for fallen Police Chief Brandon Sola. Sola died in a motorcycle accident Tuesday, June 28 near Fargo. He was the Chief of Police in Carrington since April 2022. He was also a Master Sergeant with the Air National Guard in Fargo. He had been a member of the 119th Wing since 2003. Erdmann said the lowering of the flags is in conjunction with the order from Gov. Doug Burgum to lower the flags in honor of the victims of the Highland Park, Ill. shooting.
ND agriculture on world stage
Minot Daily News
North Dakota has prospered on world commodity markets that seek out its high-quality crops, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said in speaking to Minot’s Golden K Kiwanis Wednesday. World markets haven’t been behaving in usual ways lately, though, given the uncertainties with the war between Russia and the bread basket country of Ukraine, which Goehring noted produces 57% of the world’s sunflowers and 27-34% of its wheat.
Court narrows EPA authority over greenhouse gases
Williston Herald
Burgum said the decision in North Dakota’s case will allow the state to innovate rather than regulate solutions for climate change. “Leading with innovation, not regulation, and all-of-the-above energy strategies that are responsive to market trends, promote new technologies to boost production and curb emissions is an environmentally sound and common-sense approach,” he said. “As the first state to achieve primacy over Class VI Carbon Capture, North Dakotans are leading the way in decarbonizing our energy while continuing to boast some of the nation’s cleanest air and water. At this time of global uncertainty, North Dakota has the energy policies to bring down the price at the pump, improve U.S. security and global stability, and protect the environment. We are grateful for the efforts of former Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and Attorney General Drew Wrigley for our strong partnership on protecting North Dakota’s right to innovate.”
ND Indian Education Summit to be held
Minot Daily News
Teachers from across the state will attend the eighth annual North Dakota Indian Education Summit at the Capitol building and State Heritage Center in Bismarck on Thursday and Friday. Several of the instructional sessions will concentrate on ways to blend Native American history, culture, and traditions into elementary, middle, and high school curricula. The State Legislature passed a bill last year that requires schools to incorporate Native American history into teaching. “Our public education system has a great responsibility to help all of our students learn about the richly diverse history and experiences that exist in North Dakota. As a result, we will better understand each other and grow stronger,” said North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler.
Travel Channel host to speak at Main Street ND Summit
Minot Daily News
The North Dakota Department of Commerce announced that Anthony Melchiorri, the host of Travel Channel’s Hotel Impossible, Five Star Secrets and Extreme Hotels will be speaking at the 2022 Main Street ND Summit. “We are grateful to have Anthony Melchiorri join us at this year’s summit,” Gov. Doug Burgum said. “We look forward to him sharing his experience and expertise on what it takes to build a successful and vibrant community that will attract and retain a talented workforce.” At the summit, Melchiorri will help communities and business leaders craft a roadmap to a successful and effective brand by incorporating key principles of hospitality. He will share how reinventing a brand can attract new talent and residents to the communities of North Dakota.
Washington, D.C.
Airline capacity remains a concern in North Dakota; airport infrastructure grants total $8.5M
The Bismarck Tribune
Separately, the Federal Aviation Administration has awarded a total of more than $7.4 million to several North Dakota airports for runway and other work, according to U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. The Mott airport is getting $40,000, the Bowman and Mandan airports $159,000 apiece, the Parshall airport $230,000 and the Glen Ullin airport $1.7 million.
Court narrows EPA authority over greenhouse gases
Williston Herald
Likewise, Rep. Kelly Armstrong in North Dakota praised the outcome. “This decision confirms that the power to implement policies that keep our air and water clean should be held by the states, not the federal government. Burdensome federal regulations stifle energy production and are expensive for consumers, hostile to America’s energy producers, and undermine reliable baseload power,” he said. “North Dakota was one of the plaintiffs in this case, and this result is in large part due to the tireless advocacy of our late Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, and now Attorney General Drew Wrigley. Wayne was a champion for North Dakota, and we are still receiving the benefits of his leadership.” Sen. John Hoeven said the decision is an important one for North Dakota’s future. “North Dakota is a leader in producing more energy with good environmental stewardship, and it is important that states continue to have flexibility to reduce emissions in a way that maintains the affordability and reliability of the grid,” said Hoeven. “Today’s SCOTUS decision affirms our work to both reinforce the role of states as the primary regulator of energy development within their borders and to push back on the needlessly burdensome rules that the Biden administration continues to impose on our energy producers.”
GOP senators worry provisions in China competitiveness bill not tough enough
Washington Examiner
A group of Republican senators is sounding the alarm about provisions in legislation aimed at boosting U.S. economic competitiveness against China , arguing that language in the Senate version of the bill could be counterproductive to that goal. In a letter sent to Senate conferees on Tuesday, Sens. Mike Braun (IN), Kevin Cramer (ND), Marco Rubio (FL), Rick Scott (FL), and Dan Sullivan (AK) argued that China’s push to overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy is “the single most important geo-political issue” and asserted that the country cannot afford to get it wrong. The group pointed to language they feel would limit current resources that were used by the previous administration to fight back against the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to undermine the U.S. economy . “We remain deeply concerned that several provisions germane to the conference would substantially weaken the ability of the United States to combat malicious Chinese economic influence. We write to note this concern with a conferenced agreement that weakens American economic position with respect to China and does not provide new enforcement tools to improve that position,” they wrote.
Grand Forks Air Force Base Named as Space Networking Center
Devils Lake Journal
“The SDA’s Space Networking Center, which will be developed by General Dynamics, Iridium, Raytheon and other partners, will place North Dakota at the center of U.S. space operations,” said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. “Further, the LEO satellite mission and the Sky Range hypersonic missile testing program are two more strong examples of the partnerships we’ve established to secure Grand Forks’ role in the future of our nation’s defense. These new operations greatly complement GFAFB’s leadership in the Air Force’s (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) efforts, as well as the dynamic, world-class UAS industry we’ve built in the Red River Valley.” Also in attendance Tuesday were Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., and Derek Tournear, director of the SDA. Tournear has previously visited the state to discuss with University leaders and state lawmakers space-related initiatives including the LEO satellite mission. “It seems like just yesterday I brought SDA Director Tournear to Grand Forks to show off our Airmen and University,” said Cramer. “Now here we are, less than two years later, cutting the ribbon on SDA’s first operations center. As the home of SDA’s first operations center, Grand Forks Air Force Base plays a critical role in bolstering our national security through its important satellite mission. This is also a tremendous opportunity for the entire community in terms of opening up new jobs for the area and working with the city’s academic and technology community. North Dakota’s space assets and capabilities are second to none and our excellence will be a boon to improve our nation’s space-based defense.”
Meet the GOP deal-makers-in-waiting who Dems may find essential in 2023
Politico
Instead of building from the center out, these GOP lawmakers — many of them ideologically conservative — are looking at specific issues to build potential coalitions around. “One of my biggest frustrations with bipartisanship in this town and how it’s covered … is you think a really moderate Republican and a really moderate Democrat come together and make a deal — well, they agree 97 percent of the time. That’s not bipartisanship. Bipartisanship, in my opinion, is a guy like me working with Hakeem Jeffries,” Armstrong said.
The complex dynamics behind record-high oil prices
KX News
“The administration is constantly putting more regulations on the industry and trying to tax them. Well how do you get these companies to invest in the facilities and additional energy production when they are constantly seeing an administration that wants to shut them down,” posed U.S. Senator John Hoeven.
House Republicans Seek to Designate June a ‘Month of Life’ in Celebration of Supreme Court Ruling
The Epoch Times
Days earlier, a group of Republican senators led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced a resolution celebrating the pro-life movement’s “historic victory” after the Supreme Court ruling on abortion. “The Supreme Court decision is a victory for the pro-life movement and the volunteers who have supported mothers and children for the past 50 years,” Blackburn said, according to a statement from her office. “Pro-life supporters come together from different states, religions, professions, and backgrounds in order to fight for the lives of the unborn, and I look forward to empowering the work of these volunteers as they continue to fearlessly defend the right to life,” she added. The bill commemorates those who have “stood up for life over the last nearly 50 years” and “condemns all threats and incidents of violence fueled by the decision.” Co-sponsors of the Senate resolution include Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).
