Roughrider Roundup – April 4, 2022

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

NDGOP


Congratulations to all of our nominated Republican candidates! Onward to November!


Photo of the Week

Thank you so much to 2022 North Dakota Republican State Convention Chairman Bob Christmann, along with all of our pages and volunteers for their leadership and service in organizing the largest NDGOP Convention ever! 

North Dakota

President Biden has options for increasing energy supply. He just needs to use them.
USA Today
Fortunately for the president, North Dakota provides a way forward. In our pledge to become both carbon-neutral by 2030 and a leader in domestic energy, we have shown that fresh thinking outside of Washington demonstrates that we do not need to choose between environmental stewardship and lower costs with less foreign reliance for American consumers.

High prices could trigger tax hike on North Dakota oil industry
The Jamestown Sun
Bumping taxes on producers is the opposite of what government should be doing in the current constrained oil market, Gov. Doug Burgum argued at a recent Industrial Commission meeting. He noted that the trigger amounts to a 10% hike on the North Dakota oil industry’s current tax level. “I can’t imagine a worse thing for our state to do than to raise taxes by 10% at a time when we’re already losing the battle for capital investment,” the second-term Republican said. “There has to be a discussion with the Legislature on that. I don’t think ‘do nothing’ is an option.”

Baesler, Burgum Laud Education Innovation Work
The Valley City Times Record
Burgum and Baesler said a landmark education innovation bill, approved by the 2017 Legislature, had helped to foster personalized learning initiatives across North Dakota. “An education approach that makes it easier for our students to tap into their interests and passions, while benefiting their families, their communities, and themselves, is an excellent way to prepare our young people for their futures,” Baesler said. Burgum said it was “inspiring to see how state-supported, locally driven innovation is shaping education delivery and helping students on a personal level to become choice-ready for college, careers, or the military.” “The innovation waiver legislation put control of education back where it belongs – in the hands of teachers, students and parents,” the governor said. “We’re grateful to those taking advantage of this flexibility for the benefit of current and future generations of North Dakotans.”

Raising awareness about child abuse prevention
Minot Daily News
During the past fiscal year, 1,349 children in North Dakota were the victims of child abuse or neglect, reports the North Dakota Department of Human Services. Now to raise awareness in communities and with individuals so they can help support strong and stable families, Gov. Doug Burgum has proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in North Dakota. During this month, N.D. Department of Human Services and Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota has joined up with organizations in Minot and communities across the state in sponsoring local events and activities to support families and raise the awareness about prevention.

Poultry show cancellation doesn’t apply to virtual sales and more things to know in agriculture this week
The Williston Herald
Avian bird flu has been confirmed in North Dakota in Kidder County, and poultry/bird events have been cancelled. That cancellation extends to all shows, public sales, swaps and exhibitions of poultry and other birds, however virtual marketplaces may continue to operate…This is the first instance of HPAI in the state since 2015, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “Protecting our North Dakota producers, who raise approximately 1 million commercial birds yearly, and our many backyard bird owners, is high priority,” he added.

STATE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT RELEASES AUTO INSURANCE SURVEY
NewsDakota.com
“The survey is another reminder of the importance of meeting with your insurance agent, discussing your coverage, comparing rates, and finding the right coverage for you and/or your family,” said Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread. “We encourage you to conduct these reviews on an annual basis to make sure you have the coverage you expect, should something happen.” 

North Dakota leaders react to Biden’s oil release announcement
AM 1100 The Flag
“Instead of demonizing U.S. oil producers and threatening to impose fees on them based on misleading data points about federal leases, the Biden administration needs to embrace a realistic long-term path to U.S. energy independence,” said Governor Doug Burgum. “One that sends a clear signal that his administration supports U.S. oil production and infrastructure so that capital investment will flow toward, instead of away from, energy producing states like North Dakota at the cutting edge of carbon capture technology.”

MSA United Way celebrates record fundraising
The Bismarck Tribune
The Missouri Slope Areawide United Way celebrated record-breaking fundraising years and outlined future plans to serve the community at its annual meeting Thursday. Hundreds gathered for the luncheon in the Ramkota ballroom. The meeting was the first since January 2020; the event was not held in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford opened the event by thanking members of MSA United Way for their work. “As you can see, the needs in our community are numerous, but so are the community members willing to step up and help out,” he said.

MDU fined $40,000 for failing to get PSC approvals for a 1.5 mile, 230kV line in Morton County
Prairie Public News Room
Bismarck-based MDU has been fined $40,000 by the North Dakota Public Service Commission for construction of a 1.5 mile long, 230 kilovolt electric transmission line in Morton County without getting required approval for siting the line… In the PSC’s order, MDU was fined $50,000, with $10,000 suspended. Another fine – for $60,000 — for building it too close to landowners – was deleted. “Throughout the fall, the company did try in good faith to negotiate with those landowners, and address their concerns in a number of different ways,” said PSC Chairman Julie Fedorchak. “They ultimately could not get resolution.” Fedorchak said because of that, MDU moved the structures. “I feel that the cost of moving the structures is a penalty in itself,” Fedorchak said. Fedorchak said this is a serious issue – but she’s conformable that MDU recognizes that. She said there were a lot of lessons learned.

Wrigley to review ballot measure petitions for possible prosecution
AM 1100 The Flag
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley is set to review petitions for a proposed ballot measure for possible prosecution. Secretary of State Al Jaeger officially referred the matter to Wrigley Tuesday because some of the signatures “were obtained in violation of the law.” Supporters of a measure for term limits submitted over 14-hundred petitions last month containing more than 46-thousand signatures, more than the amount needed to qualify to put the issue on the November ballot. Jaeger said last week that he was rejecting 29-thousand signatures because of irregularities. Wrigley says he will review the materials to determine if additional investigation is needed.

SANFORD MEETS WITH OIL AND GAS PRODUCERS, ELECTRIC CO-OP MEMBERS
AM 890 AG News
Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford visited Dickinson last week to talk with energy producers at the American Petroleum Institute’s monthly meeting. Sanford also held a Q&A session with the attendees to discuss the impact and importance of U.S. energy independence and North Dakota’s role in ensuring its oil and gas industry is driven by innovation not regulation. Sanford then met with Central Power Electrical Cooperative members to discuss state and federal policies as well as the administration’s all-of-the-above energy approach.

Washington, D.C.

Republican Sen. Cramer to Vote No On Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
KVRR
Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota joins a long list of Republican senators announcing their intention to vote “no” on confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. After meeting the judge this week, Cramer said she’s intellectually and academically qualified for the court. But he worries her judicial philosophy is far to the left of anyone else on the court. Cramer also has concerns about how far below sentencing guidelines she has sentenced criminals including child porn perpetrators.

Poultry show cancellation doesn’t apply to virtual sales and more things to know in agriculture this week
The Williston Herald
The USDA will soon be sending livestock disaster assistance payments from the Emergency Livestock Relief Program to ranchers affected by drought or wildfire in 2021. This is a new program funded in last September’s Continuing Resolution, Sen. Kevin Cramer said. “2021 was a challenging year for North Dakota’s ranchers. Extreme drought affected most of the state and forced producers to cull herds they took decades to build,” Cramer said. “I thank Senator Hoeven for his work to secure this assistance through his seat on agriculture appropriations. I urge USDA to build off their work to move the additional $10 billion in disaster assistance for crop producers quickly so farmers have financial certainty headed into spring planting. All affected producers should familiarize themselves with the details of the programs and work with their FSA office to receive assistance.” Sen. John Hoeven, meanwhile, said the funding totals $750 million to help ranchers recover from last year’s historic drought. “The payments come as a needed relief, especially as producers are facing increased costs across the board,” he said. “That’s why we’ve repeatedly urged USDA to move this program forward and called for payments to be based on LFP applications, which streamlines the process for ranchers. With these payments starting next week, we will continue pressing to get remaining disaster assistance out the door for all of our agriculture producers as soon as possible.”

Chuck Todd FREAKS When Republican Calls Out Media Refusing to Cover Hunter Biden Scandal
NewsBusters
During an MSNBC interview with North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer on Thursday, MTP Daily host Chuck Todd freaked when the GOP lawmaker called out the left-wing media for refusing to cover the growing Hunter Biden scandal and instead focusing on the latest controversial comments from Donald Trump. A visibly upset Todd ranted that, “It is not about the media.”

North Dakota leaders react to Biden’s oil release announcement
AM 1100 The Flag
“The Biden administration has been taking the wrong approach to energy development,” said Senator Hoeven. “In an energy rich nation like ours, consumers should not be burdened by skyrocketing energy prices. Tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and calling on OPEC to produce more oil are not real long-term solutions, and won’t provide hardworking families relief at the pump.” Biden announced this week that he will release one million barrels of oil per day from the strategic oil reserve for the next six months. Senator Cramer called Biden’s move “political gimmickry at its worst” and that he should pivot his bad energy policy toward increasing production of American oil.

Sen. Cramer to Newsmax: Biden Sending Signals to Squelch Oil Production
Newsmax
North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer on Thursday told Newsmax that every signal President Joe Biden sends to the marketplace is a negative one “designed to squelch the production” of oil. “Whether it’s, you know killing the pipelines or stop leasing on federal lands, but more importantly the other regulations like the applications for permits to drill on these federal lands have like tripled in the time that it takes to get one,” the Republican lawmaker told Newsmax’s “Eric Bolling: The Balance.” “And you know Eric, as well as probably anybody in America, this is a very capital intensive industry and you need some medium term and long term certainty to get those investments.”

North Dakotans react to Biden’s budget proposal
KFYR-TV
That’s a big sticking point in President Biden’s 2023 budget proposal. Under it, people earning $100 million dollars or more would be taxed on 20% of their total earnings. That includes unrealized gains, which has lawmakers skeptical. “You’re not taxing income, you’re not taxing any transactional thing. You’re taxing just a baseline number, and I just simply don’t know how that would work,” said Representative Kelly Armstrong. Another problem Representative Kelly Armstrong has with the proposal is raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%. “Burger King’s not in Ireland because the Irish eat more Whoppers, they’re in there because they have a more effective tax rate. This is a global economy, and we’re going to chase people offshore again at a time when we really need to onshore more production,” said Rep. Armstrong.


Put North Dakota First

JOIN OUR LIST