House Leader Visits Bakken

The majority leader of the US House of Representatives was seeing the Bakken first hand today.

Republican Eric Cantor joined North Dakota's congressman Kevin Cramer to check out the state's oil industry.

Jennifer Thorgramson reports on the majority leader's visit to Williston.

You have to see it to believe it.

That's been the mentality of North Dakota congressional delegates through the month of August.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe and now U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

All have responded to invitations to the Bakken.

(Rep. Eric Cantor, (R) U.S. House Majority Leader) "North Dakota's got it right. The state, works in partnership with the private sector to ensure environmental soundness and allow for the maximization for energy production in this state. There's a lot of lessons to be learned by Washington from what's going on here in North Dakota."

(Rep. Kevin Cramer, (R) North Dakota) "All of the above doesn't just mean above the ground. It also means under the ground. And for this administration, all of the above has meant everything except fossil fuels."

Kevin Cramer went on to say that North Dakota has created a comprehensive energy plan --- one that can be mirrored on the federal level.

Cantor also addressed the House Farm Bill, which was recently criticized by local democrats.

North Dakota Democratic Chairman Bob Valeu released a statement regarding the Cramer-Cantor partnership, referring to Cantor as the 'Grim Reaper' of the farm bill.

Cantor and Cramer argue that the House has supported the farm bill, Cantor voted for it twice, a farm bill that has been separated from the nutrition assistance program.

Conferees will be appointed in September and Cantor says a nutrition title separate from the farm bill will be moving out of the House soon.

(Rep. Eric Cantor, (R) U.S. House Majority Leader) "Our nutrition title will be very much focused on the fact that there has been more than a doubling of population under those programs."

From fields of grain to the Bakken oil field, Cantor says he'll be taking his 'boots on the ground' experience back to Washington.

In Williston, Jennifer Thorgramson, KX News.

Cramer says the House has passed 17 energy related bills this session, many of them designed to stream line the process of energy production off-shore and on federal land.