News Releases
Hoeven: Congress Passes Flood Insurance Legislation: Measure Gives Relief to Homeowners, Businesses
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Senate has passed a bill that will hold the line on flood insurance premium costs for homeowners and businesses. The measure also includes the Hoeven-Heitkamp-Cramer basement exception, which enables homeowners to receive credit for flood proofed basements when determining flood insurance rates. The legislation now goes to the president's desk. The bill prevents the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from steeply raising rat… Continue Reading
03.12.14
Hoeven, Missouri River Delegations Call on Corps of Engineers to Prepare for Potential Flooding
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) today joined Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Walsh (D-Mont.), along with Representatives Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) in sending a letter to Brig. Gen. John Kem of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers calling on the Corps to provide members with information about Missouri River flood prevention plans for the spring thaw and actions the Corps h… Continue Reading
03.12.14
Hoeven Statement on NDSU Bison's Summit League Championship, Advancement to NCAA Tournament
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after the North Dakota State University Bison men's basketball team win over Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne at the Summit League Tournament. The win earns the Bison an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. "The NDSU Bison men's basketball team continues its incredible season, becoming the Summit League Men's Basketball Champions following an exciting and hard-earned win," Hoeven said. "As they now advancing to the NCAA Tournament,… Continue Reading
03.12.14
Hoeven, Senators Introduce Bill to Reduce Natural Gas Flaring
WASHINGTON - Today, Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) introduced the Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act. The legislation expedites the permitting of natural gas gathering lines located on federal and Indian lands. Natural gas gathering lines are pipelines that ship unprocessed natural gas from oil and gas wells to natural gas processing plants which separate the gases (e.g., methane, ethane, propane) from one another. Once processed, the various gas… Continue Reading
03.11.14
Hoeven Issues Call to Action: "Let's Build a Comprehensive, All-of-the-Above, National Energy Plan"
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today delivered a powerful call for action on the floor of the U.S. Senate to build a comprehensive, all-of-the-above national energy plan. He cited legislation he and other members have offered that empowers states to leverage their strengths and make America a true energy powerhouse. To seal the case, Hoeven cited recent events in Ukraine that underscore the important role energy plays in national security, at home and abroad. "Instead of talking about energy … Continue Reading
03.11.14
Hoeven: BNSF CEO Carl Ice Updates Senator on Efforts to Enhance Rail Safety, Catch up on Agriculture Backlogs
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today met with BNSF Railway CEO Carl Ice to follow up on a range of concerns the senator expressed to railroad officials over the past year. Hoeven urged the new company CEO to follow through on previous commitments and to work with shippers, regulators and other stakeholders to advance comprehensive rail safety reforms. That includes steps to prevent rail accidents, mitigate the risk of explosions and fires and have a robust response procedure in place when acci… Continue Reading
03.11.14
Hoeven Updates Grand Forks Mayor on Rail Safety Issues, Grafton Mayor on Flood Insurance Legislation
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today met in Washington with Grand Forks Mayor Mike Brown, Grafton Mayor Chris West and other Grand Forks and Grafton officials to discuss the cities' and region's priorities. Hoeven and Brown discussed a wide range of topics, with a focus on rail safety. Hoeven updated Brown on his efforts to encourage improved and timely rules for tank car construction from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and also his work to bring Department … Continue Reading
03.10.14
Hoeven: Senate Passes Strong Measure to Help Protect Victims of Sexual Assault in the Military
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today voted to pass the Victims Protection Act introduced by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) to address sexual assault in the military. The measure passed with a large bipartisan majority, 97 to 0. "The bill we passed today strengthens the procedures used to report and prosecute sexual assault in the military," Hoeven said. "It includes new measures to protect victims and gives them a greater voice in whether t… Continue Reading
03.07.14
Hoeven, Klobuchar, Bipartisan Group of Senators Introduce Legislation to Help Communities Impacted by Propane Shortage
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators John Hoeven (R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Al Franken (D-MN), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced legislation to make it easier to transport propane to communities impacted by the ongoing propane shortage. The bipartisan bill would extend the hours-of-service exemption until May 31st, allowing truck drivers to work longer hours to help transport propane to regions impacted by the shortage. More importantly, the legislation would deliver much-needed certainty t… Continue Reading
03.06.14
Hoeven Supports Legislation to Help Protect Victims of Sexual Assault in the Military
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today supported the Victims Protection Act introduced by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) to address sexual assault in the military. "Sexual assault is a heinous crime and needs to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, in the military as in civilian life," Hoeven said. "The legislation crafted by Senators McCaskill, Ayotte and Fischer gets to the heart of the problem, which is making it easier for victims… Continue Reading
03.06.14
Hoeven Presses for Increased Rail Safety, Timely Action at Senate Commerce Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today pressed rail industry officials and regulators for a comprehensive and timely plan to enhance safety measures for transporting petroleum products by rail. The hearing examined the current state of rail safety on the nation's passenger and freight rail networks, including a discussion of recent rail accidents, positive train control implementation and other measure to improve rail safety. "Producing more oil and gas is creating jobs, helping to grow our e… Continue Reading
03.06.14
Hoeven: Live Stream Hearing of Rail Transportation Safety
Beginning at 10am CT on March 6, click here to stream video of Senator Hoeven at a Commerce Subcommittee hearing on improving rail transportation safety… Continue Reading
03.05.14
Hoeven: New House Flood Insurance Legislation Gives Relief to Homeowners, Businesses
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today commended the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a bill that will hold the line on flood insurance premium costs for homeowners and businesses. The measure also includes the Hoeven-Heitkamp-Cramer basement exception, which enables homeowners to receive credit for flood proofed basements when determining flood insurance rates. Like the Senate bill, the House bill prevents the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from steeply raising rates and… Continue Reading
03.04.14
Hoeven, Heitkamp Announce Water Project Appropriations for Fargo, Minot Included in Corps Work Plan
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp today announced that the Army Corps' FY14 work plan includes $6.3 million to complete the planning, engineering and design (PED) of the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion. The work plan also includes $2.5 million for a sanitary sewer extension project in Minot to service the Crystal Springs and Beaver Creek developments, along with opening up additional acres for development of residential housing. Hoeven, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations C… Continue Reading
03.03.14
Hoeven: Russia Must Respect Ukraine's Sovereignty
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today said Russia needs to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine and follow international law. Russia has no legitimate right to make incursions into Ukraine and breach that country's border, in spite of its perceived military and economic interests in Crimea and energy pipeline infrastructure to Europe. Hoeven said the United States can and should, along with its allies, pursue economic and diplomatic sanction against Russia unless it withdraws from Ukraine. Diplo… Continue Reading
02.28.14
Hoeven: Amtrak to Begin Normal Operations Saturday
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today said he has been notified that Amtrak will resume normal operations through Grand Forks, Devils Lake and Rugby in North Dakota Saturday, March 1. Because of increased rail traffic and a severe winter season, BNSF rerouted the westbound Empire Builder line to bypass Grand Forks, Devils Lake and Rugby, requiring passengers to be bused to and from Fargo and Minot. Eastbound traffic has maintained its usual route along the state's northern tier. At a meeting … Continue Reading
02.28.14
Hoeven Welcomes EPA Administrator McCarthy to ND, Showcases State's Clean Coal Technologies, Good Environmental Stewardship
BEULAH, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today welcomed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy to North Dakota to highlight the state's high-tech energy development and good environmental stewardship. Hoeven, along with Senator Heidi Heitkamp and Congressman Keven Cramer, hosted McCarthy on a tour of the Dakota Gasification Company in Beulah to see the cutting-edge technologies the plant has developed to produce natural gas from coal. The facility not only produces gas from … Continue Reading
02.28.14
ICBM Coalition Senators Press DOD to Retain Silos
WASHINGTON - At a meeting Wednesday afternoon, members of the Senate ICBM Coalition, including Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), John Walsh (D-Mont.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), pressed Admiral James Winnefeld Jr., Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to retain missile silos in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. As members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven and Tester authored a provision in the Department of Defen… Continue Reading
02.26.14
Hoeven Announces New Agreement to Recruit and Retain Rural Postal Carriers in Western ND
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Postal Service has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Rural Letter Carriers Association that will grant pay increases and bonuses to recruit and retain rural carriers in the Bakken region, including Minot, Dickinson, Williston, Watford City and most of the communities in western North Dakota, effective May 17, 2014. The increases are designed to attract and retain rural carriers. In August 2013, Hoeven invit… Continue Reading
02.26.14
Hoeven Statement on Today's Inspector General Report Finding No Conflict of Interest
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement regarding the State Department's second inspector general (IG) report exonerating Environmental Resources Management (ERM), the consulting firm that completed the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Keystone XL pipeline project. "Today's Inspector General report makes clear that the Department of State did not violate its conflict of interest procedures in selecting ERM to conduct its environmental review of the Ke… Continue Reading
