Senator Kent Conrad | North Dakota
Welcome
Thank you for visiting my Senate Web site. One of the most important parts of my job as Senator is to help provide services and information to my constituents in North Dakota.

I hope you find this Web site both useful and interesting.

Kent Conrad

How can I help you?
In Your Community
Map: North Dakota
Senator Conrad spends a great deal of time traveling across North Dakota meeting constituents. Click here to see what he's doing in your area.

Issues

Energy

"Our nation faces a growing energy challenge. We must chart a new course toward energy independence. North Dakota is home to vast resources of traditional energy sources, such as oil, natural gas, and lignite, and has great potential to increase our production of energy from renewable sources, such as wind and biodiesel. I am committed to a national plan for greater energy independence - a plan that makes North Dakota a national energy leader."
--Senator Kent Conrad

Promoting North Dakota's Energy Resources
Fully Utilizing the Bakken Formation
Expanding Our Use of Renewable Energy
Advancing Clean Coal Technology
Increasing Biofuels Production
Conservation and Energy Efficiency
Addressing the Challenge of Global Climate Change

Promoting North Dakota's Energy Resources

North Dakota is fortunate to have a variety of resources that can help meet our energy needs. Senator Conrad recently introduced legislation that puts North Dakota's resources at the center of our national energy strategy. This comprehensive energy legislation, the Fulfilling U.S. Energy Leadership (FUEL) Act of 2011 (S. 1220), recognizes our state's potential to play a leading role in addressing our country's energy challenges.

The FUEL Act will invest in clean sources of electricity, boost energy efficiency in homes and buildings, help reduce our dependence on foreign oil by developing advanced vehicles and promoting alternative fuels, increase domestic oil and gas production, and encourage research and development of clean energy.

Fully Utilizing the Bakken Formation

The Bakken Formation, which lies under the western part of North Dakota harbors billions of barrels of oil and large amounts of natural gas. The recent discovery of the vast extent of these deposits, coupled with new technologies, has created a rapidly growing oil and gas sector in the state. The Bakken Formation is the fastest-growing oil play in the United States. Senator Conrad strongly supports oil production in this region because it provides thousands of jobs and helps our nation reduce its dependence on foreign oil.

Expanding Our Use of Renewable Energy

Harnessing wind for electricity provides our country with a clean, endless power source. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, North Dakota has one of the highest potentials for generating electricity from the wind. North Dakota currently has about 1,500 megawatts of wind power online, which can provide power for hundreds of thousands of homes in the region.

The FUEL Act authorizes $130 million for the Secretary of Energy to establish a "Next Step Energy Storage Research Center" to focus on research, development, and deployment of novel vehicle and utility-scale energy storage technologies. These storage technologies will encourage the use of wind and solar by providing electricity when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining. The FUEL Act also creates a "clean energy standard" to promote the use of renewable and other low-carbon sources of electricity, like clean coal.

Advancing Clean Coal Technology

The earth underneath North Dakota contains enough lignite coal to power the state for centuries. Senator Conrad is committed to advancing new coal technologies so that North Dakotans can continue to benefit from our state's vast coal resources while enjoying pristine air quality.

The FUEL Act creates a 30 percent investment tax credit for technology to capture and store carbon from the first generation of new or updated coal-based energy facilities.  To encourage investment in renewable energy, the bill provides long-term tax incentives and $5 billion for clean renewable energy bonds, which are available to rural electric cooperatives, municipal power systems, local governments, and schools.

Increasing Biofuels Production

Biofuels are an especially exciting option in North Dakota because our state has great potential to produce advanced biofuels from agricultural sources like grasses and crop byproducts. Using biofuels, our nation can power its cars with fuels from the Midwest rather than the Middle East.

The FUEL Act supports production of biofuels with targeted long-term tax incentives. It also supports infrastructure investments that bring ethanol and other biofuels to the marketplace, including an expanded tax incentive to install alternative fuel pumps at refueling stations and $4 billion in federal loan guarantees to build biofuel pipelines.

Conservation and Energy Efficiency

Senator Conrad believes we need a national energy policy that balances domestic energy production with increased conservation and energy efficiency. Greater efficiency in our nation's power plants, automobiles, and appliances saves money for all Americans. Greater efficiency also conserves our natural resources for future generations and makes America less dependent on foreign countries to meet our energy needs.

Sen. Conrad's FUEL Act includes several provisions to help promote energy efficiency. In addition to programs to improve the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks, the bill also provides several tax incentives to support energy efficient improvements to homes and businesses and greater use of energy efficient appliances.

Click here to learn about some of the energy efficiency tax incentives that may already be available to you.

Addressing the Challenge of Global Climate Change

As Congress considers way to address the challenge of climate change, Senator Conrad will be working for a solution that carefully balances the need for action with the concerns about electricity rates for North Dakotans and the impact on our broader economy. Ensuring a diverse energy supply from clean, renewable sources -- including those that are abundant in North Dakota, like wind and biomass -- is critical to addressing global climate change. It is also important to develop advanced technologies to capture and store carbon dioxide produced from North Dakota's abundant coal resources.

Press
Statements
Links

Senator Conrad discussing wind energy with North Dakotans
Senator Conrad discussing wind energy with North Dakotans

Press

Statement from Senator Kent Conrad on Nomination of ND PSC Tony Clark to Serve on FERC Board
(01/24/12)

Conrad Welcomes New Energy Projects to McKenzie County
(01/20/12)

Conrad Looks to Bolster Support for Law Enforcement in Oil Patch
(01/20/12)

Conrad: North Dakota is Key to U.S. Energy Independence
(08/24/11)

Conrad, Hoeven Spearhead National Oil Expansion Effort
(07/12/11)

Statements

Conrad,'Gang of 10' Unveil Energy Plan

Senator Conrad's 2008 Energy Report (.pdf)

Senator Conrad's BOLD Energy Bill

Conrad's BOLD Energy Act Discussed at Agriculture Hearing on Biofuels
(04-26-06) (.mp3)

Agriculture Committee Focuses on Conrad BOLD Energy Act
(04-26-06) (.mp3)

Links

Government Agencies

Department of Energy

Energy Information Administration

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Resources

Energy Explained
(U.S. Department of Energy)

EERC at UND