Senator Cramer’s Weekly Update August 14 - August 20

Minot Air Force Base Breaks Ground on Helicopter and Tactical Response Force Team Building

I gave remarks at the groundbreaking of the Minot Helicopter and Tactical Response Force Team Building, which will be used to support new MH-139 Grey Wolf Helicopters. In 2027, the MH-139 will replace the Bell UH-1N Huey helicopters currently in use at Minot Air Force Base.

This is an important step for modernization and getting a great aircraft to our great airmen. Minot Air Force Base plays a historic and critical role in the defense of our nation, housing two out of three legs of the nuclear triad.

First developed in 1952, the UH-1N helicopter was used throughout the Vietnam War. These helicopters support the 91st Missile Wing’s airmen and assets in the 8,500 square mile missile complex. The replacement of aging aircraft with the MH-139 is critical to the safety and success of the land-based leg of the nuclear triad.

When the world sees the B-52 bomber, the new Sentinel missiles, and now the MH-139, it’s a reminder to the world of our lethality. It’s true: only the best come North.

Congressional Panel Highlights Issues Facing Electric Industry

I participated in a congressional panel with U.S. Senators John Hoeven (R-ND) and Steve Daines (R-MT) as part of Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s annual meeting. Basin Electric is a not-for-profit generation and transmission cooperative based in North Dakota, providing electricity to 3 million consumers across nine states.

As a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), I discussed the oversight role EPW plays with respect to EPA regulation, the significance of the major questions doctrine at the Supreme Court, and the importance of sound transmission policy.

The Supreme Court’s emphasis on the major questions doctrine when they struck down the Clean Power Plan cannot be understated! The religious left worships at the altar of climatology, but the Court’s decision is a real check on the ever-intrusive administrative state aimed at shutting down reliable, affordable electricity.

Cavalier County Farm Bureau Hosts Annual Meeting

I had a great time speaking with North Dakotans at the Cavalier County Farm Bureau Pie and Ice Cream Social during their Annual Meeting in Langdon. With the Farm Bill reauthorization coming up, it’s important to me to hear directly from our farmers and ranchers.

Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter Calls for Accountability on Iranian Aggression

I joined a bipartisan, bicameral letter to President Joe Biden regarding allegations of threats and intimidation by Iran against U.S. citizens and corporations which have prevented the transfer of oil from the Suez Rajan, a seized oil tanker anchored outside of Galveston, Texas.

The 800,000 barrels of oil on the Suez Rajan are valued at $56 million and the sale of the seized product would contribute additional resources to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.

The ability for a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) to prevent the transfer of seized assets within U.S. territorial waters is an unprecedented intimidation effort that threatens to undermine our nation’s security. No American citizen or company should ever fear retaliation from an FTO for assisting in law enforcement activities or engaging in lawful commerce.

Legislation Introduced to Improve Federal Supervised Release

I joined U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and James Lankford (R-OK), in introducing the Safer Supervision Act, which will ensure the federal supervised release system is directing its resources to reduce recidivism and promote public safety, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

The bipartisan, bicameral legislation would restore supervised release to the system Congress originally intended by ensuring courts impose supervision based on the individual facts of the case and promoting positive incentives through improvements to the existing early termination process.

Supervised release should be based on individual facts to help those who need it most integrate back into society. Our bill ensures supervision is imposed on those who are at higher risk of recidivism and ensures our supervision system is not overburdened.

Rail Companies Issue Status Reports on Grain Car Backlog

BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway publicly filed weekly grain backlog status updates as required by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. A summary of the reporting data specific to North Dakota from the last 10 weeks is below.

Grants

EPA Awards More Than $200,000 to Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a total of $204,142 to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe for the continuation of environmental programs.

Specifically, the funds will go towards the following programs:

- The General Assistance Program which will help develop environmental programs, update environmental codes, provide outreach and education to the community, and better manage solid and hazardous waste.

- The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act program which will provide pesticide enforcement and implementation funds to conduct compliance inspections, take enforcement actions, and implement the program for farm workers.

EPA Awards $1 Million to Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a total of $1,000,000 from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians for the Turtle Mountain Brownfields San Haven Clean Up Project.

The EPA funds will be used to conduct remediation activities at the Main Hospital of the former San Haven Medical Complex, which is contaminated with asbestos, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls, affecting building materials, soil, and water.

DOE Awards $1.5 Million to University of North Dakota

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a total of $1,500,000 to the University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center.

The DOE funds will support research regarding the future commercialization of hydrogen generation, storage, and use by assessing the potential for high-volume, secure subsurface hydrogen storage with high recovery from geologic complexes of the North Dakota portion of the Williston Basin.

USDA Awards More Than $700,000 to NDSU for Animal Health, Production Fellowship

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded a total of $749,997 to North Dakota State University (NDSU). These funds will be used to develop a collaborative, innovative undergraduate research fellowship program focused on animal health and production.