Central ND News

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota has issued a statement following the recent signing of executive orders by President Trump that are aimed at bolstering coal mining and coal-powered electricity production in the United States.

"It was a really good day for American energy," said Senator Cramer in response to the signing. "These executive orders that President Trump signed today reflect not just a temporary reprieve in the war against coal, but really a revolutionary break from the Biden administration’s pessimistic philosophy of scarcity."

Cramer emphasized that the actions signify a commitment to energy abundance and fulfill President Trump’s promise of energy dominance. "This shift toward a brighter future for energy abundance really does solidify President Trump’s promise to pursue energy dominance by ensuring that coal, which is of course our nation’s most abundant energy resource, remains available to help keep the lights on, and we know how important that is," he stated.

He highlighted the value of North Dakota’s lignite coal industry, which he says provides the lowest average electric rates in the country but had faced uncertainty under the previous administration's policies. Cramer noted, "This action today really restores sanity to our national energy policy by elevating the importance of domestic energy production to a power manufacturing renaissance and it ensures that affordable, reliable electricity is available for many generations."

During the Biden administration, Cramer had openly criticized its regulatory measures concerning coal, fearing significant negative impacts. He was involved in pushing back against some of these regulations, including introducing a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Clean Power Plan 2.0 rule. Additionally, he celebrated the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to scale back such measures on the EPA's Deregulation Day.

Furthermore, Cramer drew attention to the moratorium on coal leasing on federal lands, initiated by former President Obama’s Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell. This prohibition has been explicitly revoked by the executive orders signed by President Trump.