Letter to Secretary of Interior Nominee Sally Jewell and Assistant EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy - Invitation to North Dakota

Letter

Senator John Hoeven today invited Sally Jewell, President Barack Obama's nominee to be the next Secretary of the Interior, and Gina McCarthy, the president's nominee to be Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, to visit North Dakota and see firsthand the state's energy development. Hoeven wrote the nominees to extend formal invitations to visit North Dakota.

If confirmed, Jewell will oversee federal lands, natural resources and Native American programs. The senator has encouraged Jewell to work with Congress to promote a true all-of-the-above energy policy on federal lands. Energy development on private land has grown but is lagging on public lands owing to bureaucracy and over-regulation. In her nomination hearing before the Senate Energy Committee, Hoeven pressed Jewell to ensure that the Interior Department and its agencies streamline and simplify the energy permitting process so that the rules are clear, fair and certain.

In a personal meeting with Jewell in February, Hoeven asked her to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Spirit Lake Tribe to address child protective services issues on the Spirit Lake Reservation.

"North Dakota is a leader in energy development with a significant amount of the activity on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Multiple uses of BLM lands, including grazing, recreation, and energy development, is important to North Dakotans. The BIA's role in child safety is of utmost importance to all involved. I believe you seeing and hearing from North Dakotans directly will help shape the Department's approach on these issues," Hoeven states. "If confirmed, I look forward to working with you on issues important to North Dakota and the nation and hope you can join me in a tour of my home state."

Jewell has experience as an engineer, banker and businesswoman and has a background that includes working with both traditional and renewable energy projects. Jewell's nomination has been approved by the Energy Committee. She is currently waiting to be confirmed by the full Senate.

McCarthy currently serves as the Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation and was nominated in March to head the Agency. McCarthy's nomination must be approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee before her confirmation will be considered by the full Senate. Hoeven has requested a personal meeting with her to review her policies and positions on North Dakota priorities before determining whether or not to support her confirmation.

The letters are below:

Sally Jewell
Secretary of Interior Nominee
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20240
Dear Nominee Jewell:

As the potential next Secretary of the Interior, I believe it is important for you to see firsthand the opportunities and challenges that are overseen by the Department of the Interior in North Dakota and invite you to our great state.

We will work together on many issues facing North Dakota in the coming years with my position on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Indian Affairs Committee. The Department of Interior oversees our federal lands, natural resources, and the administration of Native American programs. This includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Office of Surface Mining, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the United States Geological Survey. All of these agencies have important roles in North Dakota.

North Dakota is a leader in energy development with a significant amount of the activity on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Multiple uses of BLM lands, including grazing, recreation, and energy development, is important to North Dakotans. The BIA's role in child safety is of utmost importance to all involved. I believe you seeing and hearing from North Dakotans directly will help shape the Department's approach on these issues.

If confirmed, I look forward to working with you on issues important to North Dakota and the nation and hope you can join me in a tour of my home state.

Gina McCarthy
Assistant Administrator
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20460
Dear Assistant Administrator McCarthy:

As the current Assistant Administrator for Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Air and Radiation, and now as the nominee for the agency's Administrator, I believe it is important for you to see North Dakota, and I invite you to see it firsthand.

North Dakota is a leader in energy development. As governor, I focused on job creation and an agenda for growing and diversifying the state's economy, with energy targeted as one of the state's key sectors for growth. We worked for more than a decade to build Empower North Dakota, the state's comprehensive, multi-resource energy policy, which forged a strong business climate for energy, attracted investment, and stimulated innovation. We did this all with strong environmental stewardship.

Today, North Dakota is a leader in energy development and has a quality of life second to none. North Dakota is one of the few states that meets all of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards as measured by the EPA. I hope seeing what we have accomplished in North Dakota will help shape your views in your current position and, if confirmed, your role as EPA Administrator.

If confirmed, I look forward to working with you on issues important to North Dakota and the nation and hope you can join me in North Dakota.

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