DORGAN REMAINS COMMITTED TO BOOSTING NORTH DAKOTA OIL PRODUCTION

Senator has led many successful energy initiatives for the state

Monday, May 3, 2010

(BISMARCK, N.D.) – During the 2010 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference and Expo here today, U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) renewed his pledge to support actions to help increase petroleum production in the state.

“North Dakota is becoming an energy powerhouse for the nation, as it’s now the fourth largest oil-producing state,” Dorgan said. “But there is much more to do. The record number of people at this event today demonstrates the high level of interest in North Dakota’s petroleum reserves. While in the U.S. Senate, I’ll keep pushing to increase responsible production policies for our state.”

As a senior member of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, and chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, Dorgan plays a key role in federal energy investments and policies around the nation.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s assessment of North Dakota’s Bakken Shale formation that Dorgan requested in 2008 gained worldwide attention. It showed that the formation is the largest “continuous” oil accumulation the agency has ever assessed in the Lower 48, having estimated reserves of nearly four billion barrels.

Dorgan has led the effort to establish a ‘one-stop shop’ to expedite permit reviews on Indian lands, called for a study to consider expanding North Dakota’s refinery capacity, and supports continued oil and natural gas research and development funding at the Department of Energy.

In 2005, Dorgan launched the successful Great Plains Energy Corridor initiative – a plan aimed at bolstering energy production in North Dakota to increase economic development and help America reduce its dependence on foreign sources of energy.

Dorgan recently released draft legislation called the “Indian Energy Promotion and Parity Act of 2010,” and is currently considering comments on the draft in preparation of introducing a final bill. The proposed legislation would help remove existing barriers to energy development in Indian Country. If passed by Congress and signed in to law, the legislation would promote energy planning, boost energy development and energy efficiency, and create energy financing opportunities for Indian tribes. The bill would build upon Dorgan’s successful initiative to open a ‘one-stop shop’ on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, improving the permit process for oil and gas leases.

Dorgan has been urging the president and the Congress to take up a bipartisan energy bill that he helped write. If passed by Congress and signed in to law, it would reduce carbon emissions while increasing the nation’s energy security. The bill also addresses energy transmission issues in North Dakota and across the nation.

“The growing energy industry in our state has created many good-paying jobs and is helping to reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil,” Dorgan said. “I’ll keep aggressively working to expand opportunities to build a better future for North Dakota and our nation.”

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