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BISMARCK — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) participated in two roundtables today with USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) Jim Hubbard, who oversees the Forest Service. Senator Cramer was joined by Senator John Hoeven and Governor Doug Burgum.


“It is always a pleasure to join Trump Administration officials like Under Secretary Hubbard when they visit North Dakota to meet our constituents and hear firsthand about their exceptional work and capabilities,” said Senator Cramer. “President Trump and Secretary Perdue have been working on improving the management of our nation’s forests and grasslands, emphasizing how we can maximize our use of these God-given resources while conserving them for generations. I hope the Under Secretary was able to glean some insight from our energy and agricultural producers today.”




The roundtables follow the Forest Service proposing a rule to assist the oil and gas industry by modernizing outdated regulations.

“Because of the regulatory hurdles and burdens of producing federal minerals — with or without federal surface ownership – industry leaders tend to avoid utilizing this resource, leaving behind a multitude of benefits for American energy,” said Senator Cramer.“Hopefully streamlining the identification process and modernizing resource management regulations will improve the efficiency between the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management managing federal oil and natural gas.”  

According to USDA, the proposed rule:

• Clarifies and streamlines the process for identifying National Forest System lands open for leasing;

• Emphasizes an operator’s responsibilities for compliance and clarifies management steps the Forest Service may take when operators do not comply with regulations;

• Updates the existing Forest Service regulations governing federal oil and gas resource management to reflect requirements of legislation and Executive Orders enacted since 1990; and

• Aligns Forest Service processes with the Department of the Interior to provide more clarity and consistency for permitting applications for oil and gas on public lands.


Learn more here.


The first roundtable today was with leaders in North Dakota’s oil and gas industry as part of the Under Secretary’s trip across the Midwest, where he has met with industry partners to enhance their relationship with USDA and highlighted Secretary Sonny Perdue’s emphasis on enhancing energy and mineral exploration and productivity on Forest Service lands.




The second roundtable, hosted by Senator Hoeven, focused on improving North Dakota’s ranchers’ access to and treatment on lands managed by the Forest Service.