Central ND News

During a recent session in the U.S. Senate, Senator John Hoeven expressed his opposition to policies advanced by the Biden administration that restrict access to taxpayer-owned energy resources and increase the cost of energy production in the U.S. Hoeven emphasized that these policies could lead to higher consumer prices, while potentially compromising the economic and national security of the U.S. and its allies.

Hoeven specifically criticized costly regulations imposed by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The U.S. Department of the Interior. "Simply put, energy prices are high because demand is outpacing supply, and Americans are being forced to pay higher prices at the pump and higher utility bills," Hoeven said. He added that as the cost of energy is built into nearly every good and service across the economy, higher energy prices are fueling persistent inflation.

According to Hoeven, instead of increasing supply to reduce prices, the Biden administration is imposing a regulatory blizzard aimed at curtailing energy production. "It starts with the EPA, which is imposing new costly, unworkable mandates specifically designed to reduce traditional energy production," he said.

Hoeven pointed out that just two weeks ago, the EPA finalized four new regulations targeting the power sector which will require billions of dollars for compliance or force early retirement of reliable coal-fired baseload power plants.

In addition to EPA's regulations, Hoeven also criticized The Interior Department for its management of public lands and subsurface minerals. He questioned why access to taxpayer-owned energy reserves was being restricted under Biden's administration.

"The goal of the Biden administration’s regulatory blizzard is clear – it’s a 'keep-it-in-the-ground' or Green New Deal agenda, no matter the economic or geopolitical costs," Hoeven stated. He suggested an alternative approach would be to remove restrictions on energy producers and unleash potential from oil, gas and coal reserves.