Heitkamp Statement on Meeting with Sally Jewell, Nominee for Secretary of the Interior

Statement

Today, Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) issued the following statement after her meeting with Sally Jewell, President Obama's nominee for the Secretary of the Interior:

"I had a frank and productive conversation with Sally Jewell today. We spoke about the many challenges that the Department of Interior faces in North Dakota, but also about the vast opportunities for collaboration that are in the best interests of the state and our citizens," said Senator Heitkamp. "Our broad discussion covered the need to accelerate permitting under the Bureau of Land Management on federal lands as well as energy development in North Dakota and the whole country. We have a real opportunity in this country to meet a large portion of our energy needs and help address our debt and deficit issues by working with the oil and gas industry to ramp up production on land that they have already leased. This should be done through an increased focus on addressing the backlog in permits and not burdening the industry with duplicative and costly federal regulations.

"I made a point to drive home the message that the Secretary of Interior has a great responsibility to address the vast needs of Indian Country. I sincerely hope she will heed my advice to hold listening sessions with tribes if confirmed. I look forward to hearing more from Sally Jewell as she moves forward in the nomination process about how she would work with North Dakota on the many issues facing our state."

The Department of the Interior is a cabinet-level agency focusing on conservation and use of federal lands, balancing the preservation of natural wonders with the economic development of public lands. Jewell was nominated on February 6, 2013. If confirmed, Jewell will succeed Ken Salazar, who has served since January 20, 2009.

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