News Releases
Hoeven Welcomes House Passage of Coal Ash Recycling Bill
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today said House passage of Coal Ash legislation this week is a good first step in ensuring the safe and efficient recycling of coal ash. In 2011, Hoeven introduced a companion bill, the Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act, in the Senate and has been working to reintroduce and pass the measure in the current session of Congress. "This coal ash legislation sets commonsense standards for managing and recycling coal ash with a state-led, states-first approach," Ho… Continue Reading
07.25.13
Hoeven Presses USDA Nominees on Prevented Plant, Grazing, Wetlands Maps
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven pressed U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary nominee Krysta Harden and USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment nominee Robert Bonnie on key issues important to North Dakota farmers and ranchers. The exchange came at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing this week to consider their confirmation for appointments to the USDA. Prevented Planting The senator secured a commitment from Harden to continue working with t… Continue Reading
07.24.13
Hoeven: Senate Passes Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that in a bipartisan show of support, the Student Loan Certainty Act that he is cosponsoring has passed the U.S. Senate. The new legislation provides a long-term remedy for the program and incorporates caps to ensure that loan rates remain at affordable levels. The measure will reduce loan rates for 100 percent of borrowers. The vote was 81 to 18. In addition to Hoeven, prime sponsors of the bill include Senators Joe Manchin (D- W.Va.), Lamar Ale… Continue Reading
07.19.13
Hoeven Postmaster General to Visit North Dakota in August
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe will visit North Dakota in August to ensure mail service is adequately serving rural communities, including western North Dakota. "We're pleased Postmaster Donahoe has agreed to visit North Dakota to see firsthand the impact of economic and population growth in the western part of our state," Hoeven said. "Those growing communities are in need of reliable and timely postal services now more than ever." Don… Continue Reading
07.19.13
Hoeven Announces Bipartisan Compromise on Student Loan Certainty Act
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that a compromise has been struck on the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act that he is cosponsoring. The amended legislation will incorporates caps to ensure that loan rates don't exceed affordable levels. The measure will reduce loan rates for 100 percent of borrowers. In addition to Hoeven, prime sponsors of the bill include Senators Joe Manchin (D- W.Va.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Tom Carper (… Continue Reading
07.18.13
Hoeven: Senate Agrees To Go To Conference on Farm Bill
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Senate has agreed to take its farm bill to conference committee and urged the House, which passed its version last week, to do the same. Hoeven, a member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, has worked in the past two sessions to pass a long-term farm bill. "This is a big step forward for the farm bill," Hoeven said. "The Senate has agreed to go to conference; now we just need the House to join us to get it done." The senator … Continue Reading
07.16.13
Hoeven Announces Permitting Approval of Vantage Pipeline
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that the Administration has approved a Presidential permit to build an 80-mile-long leg of the Vantage Pipeline in North Dakota. The completed pipeline will be 430 miles and will carry up to 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) of ethane natural gas from Tioga, North Dakota, through Saskatchewan, to facilities in Empress, Alberta, Canada. Hoeven said approval for Keystone XL has been delayed for five years, and now the State Department has approved a maj… Continue Reading
07.16.13
Hoeven, Heitkamp, Cramer: Funds Will Help Support Much-Needed Housing, Provide for Least Fortunate
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp and Congressman Kevin Cramer announced today that North Dakota will receive four awards from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) totaling over $7.5 million. The funds will come from HUD's Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) and HOME Investment Partnership Program. "The development of safe, affordable housing is absolutely necessary to relieve the strain and high-costs our res… Continue Reading
07.15.13
President Approves North Dakota Governor's Disaster Declaration Request
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp, and Congressman Kevin Cramer today said President Barack Obama has approved Governor Jack Dalrymple's request for a major disaster declaration for 19 North Dakota counties and two Indian reservations due to spring flooding. The incident period runs from May 17 to June 16, 2013. The delegation wrote to President Barack Obama in May to press for approval of the state's request: "The combination of a heavy snowpack, very late snowmelt and other… Continue Reading
07.15.13
Hoeven Secures Help with Prevented Plant Crop Insurance For ND Growers
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven this week met with U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary nominee Krysta Harden and spoke with USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) Acting Administrator Brandon Willis. The senator contacted both of them to secure help for North Dakota growers with crop insurance, particularly prevented plant insurance, because of a very wet growing season. Hoeven announced that Willis committed to help in three areas: Willis said 2012 won't automatically be considered a… Continue Reading
07.12.13
Delegation Announces $6.9 Million in Loans and Grants for Water Infrastructure in Rural Communities
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp and Congressman Kevin Cramer announced today that two North Dakota communities, Rolla and Hazelton, have been awarded $6.9 million in water and waste disposal loans and grants from the Office of Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The funds will support the communities' efforts to replace and improve old water systems, ensuring adequate water distribution, eliminating health risks and providing fire protection for r… Continue Reading
07.12.13
Hoeven to Secretary Kerry: Support Joint Commission Plan of Study To Improve Flood Protections, Water Management in Souris River Basin
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven this week urged U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to support the International Joint Commission's Plan of Study to improve river management policies and operating plans for the Souris River Basin. In a letter to Secretary Kerry, Hoeven said that the study "represents the best opportunity to capture lessons learned from the 2011 floods and provide long-term flood protection in the Souris River Basin." The Souris River is jointly managed by the United States and … Continue Reading
07.11.13
Hoeven Statement on House Passage of Farm Bill
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today issued the following statement regarding the passage of Farm Bill legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives: "Today the U.S. House passed its version of a five-year Farm Bill for the American people. The Senate version, which passed last month, helps to reduce our deficit, streamlines farm programs and ensures that farmers and ranchers continue to have strong support through enhanced crop insurance. "N… Continue Reading
07.10.13
Hoeven Cosponsors Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that he will cosponsor the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act, which will reduce loan rates for both subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans, as well as for Stafford graduate and PLUS loans. The measure is revenue neutral, meaning any revenues generated by the loans are used only to administer the program, not to support other programs. In addition to Hoeven, prime sponsors of the bill include Senators Joe Manchin (D- W.Va.), Lamar Alexande… Continue Reading
07.08.13
Statement of Senator John and Mikey Hoeven on the Passing of Former First Lady Jean Guy
BISMARCK, N.D. - Senator John and Mikey Hoeven today issued the following statement in response to news that former First Lady Jean Guy had passed away: "Some of our earliest memories of Governor Bill Guy were with Jean at his side, his friend and partner as well as his wife. Former First Lady Jean Guy was a formidable ambassador for North Dakota in her own right. She represented our state on the national and regional stage with grace, poise and intelligence. Her passing so soon after Governor … Continue Reading
07.03.13
Hoeven Meets with Minot Air Base Leaders to Inspect Base Construction Projects
MINOT, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, today met with Minot Air Force leaders and service members to discuss important military construction projects on the base. Hoeven worked to include over $30 million in funding for construction and maintenance projects at Minot Air Force Base in the Fiscal 2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act approved by Hoeven and the Appropriations Committee in June. "The airmen at Minot Air … Continue Reading
07.02.13
Hoeven Hosts Energy Roundtable with Bismarck Energy Indusry and Community Leaders
BISMARCK, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today held an energy roundtable in Bismarck to review with industry leaders President Obama's newly proposed national climate action plan and to update them on legislation he is working to pass in the U.S. Senate to empower states and develop a comprehensive energy strategy for the nation. During the roundtable discussion, the senator stressed that the president's new proposal means higher energy costs for consumers and businesses, weakened U.S. competivenes… Continue Reading
06.27.13
Senate Passed Immigration Bill Includes Tough Hoeven-Corker Border Security Amendment
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate today voted overwhelmingly to pass new immigration reform legislation, which includes a tough new Southern Border Security Plan introduced by Senators John Hoeven and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and a measure Hoeven cosponsored to increase H-1B Visas for STEM and high-tech graduates of U.S. schools. At the same time, the new immigration bill provides $850 billion in deficit reduction, according the Congressional Budget Office. "The American people want a comprehensive immi… Continue Reading
06.26.13
Hoeven, Dalrymple: President Taking the Wrong Approach to Coal Power Plants
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven and Governor Jack Dalrymple today said President Obama's plan to add an even heavier regulatory burden on the energy industry by imposing a carbon cap on all electrical generating plants using fossil fuels. The president's plan means higher energy costs for consumers and businesses, weakened U.S. competiveness in global markets and increased unemployment at a time when the economy is still struggling. The senator and governor said that's the wrong approach, and … Continue Reading
06.26.13
Senate Passes Hoeven-Corker Amendment With Overwhelming Support
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate today passed the Hoeven-Corker border security amendment by an overwhelming 69-29 vote. The measure places unprecedented resources on the border to stem the flow of illegal immigration. "This afternoon, the U.S. Senate voted by a two-thirds, bipartisan majority to pass the Hoeven-Corker border security amendment, a tough new measure that first and foremost secures the border with an unprecedented force of manpower, fencing and advanced technology," Hoeven said. "To … Continue Reading
