Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Rep. Kelly Armstrong (ND-AL) hosted a Congressional Western Caucus virtual forum titled, “Cut the Red Tape: Permitting Reforms to Benefit North Dakota & Rural America.” The forum featured local leaders who discussed the permitting challenges and opportunities facing North Dakota’s communities, from agriculture and energy production to small business and economic development.
 
“With so much focus – and billions of dollars from Congress – directed toward improving our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, we have to find ways to streamline, modernize, and improve our permitting processes, cut through the bureaucratic red tape, and reduce regulatory burdens in rural America,” said Chairman Newhouse. “North Dakota has strong leaders – including Congressman Armstrong and these esteemed panelists – who are bringing great ideas to the table, and as Chairman of the Western Caucus, I look forward to helping elevate their voices throughout the country and in Washington, D.C.”
 
“One of the reasons I get so frustrated in D.C. is because there are very smart people in North Dakota, including these three experts, who aren’t being listened to,” said Rep. Armstrong. “We all live in North Dakota, we raise our children there, we love the outdoors. We protect our air and protect our water. They’ll all be too nice to say it, but if you keep the federal government out of the way, everything would work a lot better.”
 
The Members heard from three participants during the forum who outlined how North Dakota has managed exponential growth within the state, how they work with local communities to permit necessary projects, and the challenges and delays they experience working with the federal government:

• Lynn Helms, Director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources
• Senator Jessica Bell, North Dakota State Senate
• Julie Fedorchak, Chair of the North Dakota Public Service Commission