Burgum, fellow GOP governors unveil plan to unleash American energy, send letter urging Biden to act
Gov. Doug Burgum joined 19 fellow Republican governors on Monday in sending a letter to President Biden urging his administration to unleash American energy and end the regulatory overreach that’s restricting domestic production.
Burgum and six GOP governors announced the letter and outlined their concerns and requests of the Biden administration during a press conference at PBF Energy’s refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana. The letter was signed by the governors of Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
“As governors, we are extremely concerned with the impacts your energy policies are having on households across our country and call on you to pursue an all-of-the-above energy approach that will promote homegrown energy that benefits all Americans,” the letter states.
The governors called on Biden “to pause the rhetorical and regulatory hostility towards traditional energy and to include states as active participants in further rulemaking,” and to allow free markets to flow and adopt an all-of-the-above homegrown energy plan that includes traditional and renewable energy sources. For details of the plan, read the letter here.
During the press conference, Burgum said high energy prices affect all Americans, and the Biden administration’s current policies are pushing demand to U.S. adversaries instead of encouraging U.S. production which is cleaner, safer and more efficient than foreign sources.
“When we’ve got high gas prices, when we’ve got high electricity prices, that affects Republicans, Independents and Democrats. It affects everybody. Inflation and the cost of energy drives up the cost of food, and right now we’ve got so many Americans that are struggling to put gas in the tank and food on the table,” Burgum said. “When you try to shut down that (traditional energy) industry where innovation is thriving, you’re shoving the result of that, the demand, onto places like Russia and Iran and Venezuela, people that don’t even have an EPA.”
“It doesn’t help the environment. It hurts consumers. It hurts our allies,” Burgum added, noting that if not for overreaching federal regulations and burdensome red tape, record U.S. oil production would be even higher, which would lead to not only energy independence but energy dominance. “We’d be selling that to our allies instead of our allies having to buy from our enemies.”
In addition to Burgum, governors attending today’s press conference were Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Get Home Safe initiative kicks off in North Dakota
The state of North Dakota declared Monday, June 3, 2024, “Get Home Safe Day” to promote workplace safety and adopt it as a value in daily work life for all North Dakotans.
A press conference was held Monday in Bismarck, where Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller, North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance Director Art Thompson, and Dakota Gasification Co. Senior Vice President and plant manager Dale Johnson spoke about why this initiative is imperative for workplaces across the state of North Dakota.
“Our goal is to make safety a priority for every citizen of our state. Behind a thriving North Dakota economy and a building workforce, we must create a culture in the workplace to ensure that everyone gets home safe, every day, just the way it should be,” Lt. Gov. Miller said. "We need change for the better, and it begins here today as we take steps forward and encourage all organizations to participate in creating a culture of safety.”
In the fiscal year 2022, North Dakota reported nearly 18,000 injury claims filed.
"Being a leader within the organization necessitates leading in safety through unwavering commitment to making safe decisions every day. The benefits it yields for both our employees and the entire organization far outweigh any additional cost, time, or effort required,” said Johnson, a safety champion whose role involves daily safety leadership and the integration of safety into every management decision.
North Dakota looks to make workplace safety an ongoing campaign with additional resources available to North Dakota employers every month. For more information, visit www.GetHomeSafeND.com.
Main Street Initiative team visits Casselton
The North Dakota Department of Commerce made a Main Street Visit to Casselton on June 6. Lt. Gov. Miller joined representatives of the Main Street Initiative (MSI) team for a roundtable discussion and firsthand look at the community's vibrancy.
The interactive session provided an opportunity for Casselton leaders and residents to connect with the MSI team and Lt. Gov. Miller about the community's unique needs and aspirations for a thriving Main Street.
“We are grateful to have the opportunity to meet with the leaders and residents of Casselton,” Commerce Commissioner Josh Teigen said. “Actively engaging with communities is essential to knowing the exact needs unique to every region of the state. These visits also provide an opportunity to see first-hand all the amazing things being done across the state to create healthy, vibrant communities.”
Learn more at msnd.link/MainStreetND.
HHS announces new benefit aimed at addressing child care workforce challenges
North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that employees of licensed child care programs in North Dakota will be able to apply to receive help with paying for child care costs for children up to 12 years of age through the Child Care Workforce Benefit beginning June 1.
Child care employees who work a minimum of 25 hours per week can access the benefit by applying for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). Eligible employees, regardless of their income, can receive payments through the state’s child care assistance program for their child care costs up to the full-time state maximum rate. As part of this benefit, child care workers will also have any required co-payment waived.
Eligible employees may receive the benefit even if their children are enrolled in a program other than where the parent works. In most cases, the benefit will cover the entire cost of child care for the employee.
“Parents who work in child care also have to think about child care for their children,” said HHS Economic Assistance Director Michele Gee. “We believe this new opportunity geared specifically to child care workers will make it more attractive for people who want to work in early childhood to do so.”
As a component of the ND Child Care Initiative, the benefit is designed to alleviate workforce shortages within the child care sector by providing an incentive to encourage more people to consider working for a licensed child care provider while also supporting parents who work in child care.
“Typically, staffing accounts for the largest portion of a child care program’s budget and offering a higher wage is not an easy-to-sustain solution for recruiting and retaining staff,” said HHS Early Childhood Director Kay Larson. “The Child Care Workforce Benefit should help North Dakota child care businesses compete in the local labor market and support efforts to recruit and retain staff who are themselves parents of young children.”
In addition to helping child care workers and child care businesses, the benefit is expected to help increase overall child care capacity across the state. More staffing can lead to increased child capacity for programs, making child care more accessible and available for parents looking for child care.
More information about the Child Care Workforce Benefit, including how to apply, can be found at hhs.nd.gov/ccap-providers.
In 2023, Gov. Doug Burgum signed House Bill 1540, which allocated nearly $66 million of state funds to work alongside federal funds for the ND Child Care Initiative. The objective of the initiative is to alleviate one of the state’s major barriers to workforce participation, child care. To address the state’s workforce needs, the initiative focuses on three key elements of the child care workforce barrier: availability, affordability and quality. Addressing these elements will make it easier for parents and guardians to work, provide for their families and strengthen local businesses and their communities.
Registration now open for sixth Strengthening Government to Government (G2G) Conference
Free event scheduled for June 25-26 at Bismarck Event Center
Registration is now open for the sixth Strengthening Government to Government (G2G) Conference June 25-26 at the Bismarck Event Center.
The two-day conference brings together tribal leaders and elders, state agency leaders and staff, statewide elected officials, local leaders, federal officials and legislators and is hosted by the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission office, led by Executive Director Brad Hawk. Burgum is expected to deliver remarks June 25.
Topics for this year’s conference will include tribal tourism, food sovereignty, autonomy and AI, workforce, tribal health, cybersecurity, behavioral health, law enforcement, missing and murdered indigenous persons, and youth leadership.
Tribal leaders also will give updates from the five tribal nations with whom North Dakota shares geography: the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Spirit Lake Nation and Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate.
The conference is free and open to the public. To register, visit the Indian Affairs Commission link below.
Registration is now open for the North Dakota Digital Government Summit
The Digital Government Summit brings together technology-focused, public-sector professionals with leading industry partners to connect on innovative approaches, get inspired and discover new technologies.
Join us June 25 in Bismarck and let’s improve the future of government together!