Cramer Statement on WBI Energy Dakota Pipeline

Statement

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today Congressman Kevin Cramer offered the following statement after WBI Energy, a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group Inc., announced it intends to build a $650 million pipeline to transport natural gas from the Bakken region to interstate gas lines in Minnesota:

"With the ever-growing amount of natural gas production in the Bakken, major infrastructure projects like the Dakota Pipeline are exactly what the region, and the nation, needs. The increased natural gas demand this winter underscores how North Dakota is in the perfect position to capture a resource we have in bounty and move it to an expanding marketplace. I was happy to cosponsor the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act, which passed the House last November. It would expedite the federal review process for natural gas pipeline permit applications by requiring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve or deny a complete application in 12 months and requiring all relevant agencies to approve or deny their portion of the application within 90 days. Permits would be automatically approved if these deadlines are missed."

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