Restoring a proven plan for North Dakota’s energy future

In his final week in office, President Biden’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rushed through a new Resource Management Plan (RMP) for North Dakota. Plain and simple, this was a backdoor attempt to shut down fossil fuel development in our state. If left in place, the rule would jeopardize 12,000 North Dakota jobs, leave a gaping $34 million annual hole in the state budget, and threaten the reliability and affordability of our energy systems.    

For more than 35 years, North Dakota has operated under a thoughtful management plan that worked well. It balances years of responsible development of energy resources, the interests of agriculture, energy, private landowners and recreation, and protected our land, water, and air. The plan worked because it was created in partnership with our state and respected local input. 

Unfortunately, when the Biden administration rewrote the plan, it ignored North Dakota’s many concerns outlined in our state’s repeated efforts to engage. As our state’s lawsuit put it, “the amended RMP is not only unlawful and unwise, but it is also emblematic of everything that was wrong with the prior administration's approach to cooperative federalism.” That’s exactly right. 

The new plan was completely unworkable and would have been devastating to our state’s energy industry, those who work for it, and millions who rely on its dependable energy. Nearly 99 percent of North Dakota’s federal coal acreage—over 4 million acres—would have been locked away. Almost half of federally owned oil and gas acreage—over 200,000 acres—would be off the table. The lost jobs would devastate small towns like Washburn and Watford City, and the lost revenue would threaten state funding for vital priorities such as education and healthcare.   

North Dakota has a right to decide how to responsibly use our abundant natural resources. That’s why one of my first goals in Congress was to roll back this new BLM management plan. Thankfully, that mission is now accomplished.  

The U.S. House and Senate passed H.J. Res. 105, my resolution to repeal this reckless BLM plan. And I joined President Trump in the Oval Office this week as he signed it into law. 

The goal isn’t to create something new or untested—it’s to restore the proven multiple-use mandate that has been working and effectively balances energy production and environmental protection.  

With billions invested in emissions reduction and clean energy technology, nationally acclaimed reclamation programs and zero violations of federal ambient air quality standards, North Dakota leads the way in responsible energy development. We don’t need bureaucrats in Washington D.C. dictating one-size-fits-all restrictions that ignore proven state expertise and the reality on the ground. 

North Dakotans have always been energy innovators and careful stewards of our land. This resolution, now law, protects that record. It protects our jobs, our communities, and our state’s right to lead in developing our natural resources.