Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven has called on EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to provide regulatory certainty for the nation's energy producers and to respect private property rights. Hoeven emphasized the need to improve the reliability and affordability of the electrical grid, citing reports from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). These reports indicate that the loss of baseload power, partly due to the early retirement of coal-fired plants, has compromised grid reliability.

Hoeven urged Zeldin to reverse what he described as regulatory overreach by the Biden administration. He specifically mentioned rolling back rules like the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) and Clean Power Plan 2.0.

Additionally, Hoeven advocated for restoring the traditional definition of "waters of the U.S." (WOTUS). He argued that both Obama and Biden administrations expanded this definition beyond federal authority under the Clean Water Act, imposing unworkable mandates and costly compliance requirements on landowners and various industries. Hoeven supports aligning WOTUS with a Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA.

"The Biden administration imposed a regulatory blizzard on this nation," said Hoeven. "As a result, we saw the premature retirement of baseload, coal-fired power plants... This undermined our energy security... Instead, we need to empower technological innovation... At the same time, we will continue working with Administrator Zeldin... to roll back President Biden’s harmful policies."

Hoeven's comments underscore his support for Trump-era policies aimed at providing regulatory certainty while respecting private property rights.