News Releases from Headquarters
PHOTOS: Administrator Pruitt Takes State Action Tour to North Dakota
Meets with Bipartisan Delegation of State Leaders
PHOTOS
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (left) and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt (right) talk before joint interview on Flag 1100 AM with Scott Hennen.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (left), EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt (middle), and U.S. Senator John Hoeven hold WOTUS roundtable at North Dakota State University. 
North Dakota agribusiness leaders discuss WOTUS at the roundtable. 
U.S. Senator John Hoeven, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum tour University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Center.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt holds roundtable with North Dakota state officials, UND faculty and members of the local energy industry.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt addresses crowd at Bateman Ag, Inc.
FARGO, N.D. – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt continued his state action tour in North Dakota on Wednesday, visiting his ninth state in four weeks.
"As I’ve traveled state-to-state, farmers and landowners have told me firsthand the harmful impacts the 2015 WOTUS rule would have on American agribusinesses," said Administrator Pruitt. "EPA is no longer in the business of advancing unnecessary and burdensome regulations that harm the agriculture industry and do little to help keep water clean."
Administrator Pruitt began his trip with a stop at North Dakota State University in Fargo where he was joined by North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, U.S. Senator John Hoeven, U.S. Congressman Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Lt. Governor Brent Sanford, North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, a representative from U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s office, and other state officials. Together, they held a roundtable with the North Dakota Farm Bureau, North Dakota's Farmer Union, and other state agribusiness leaders where they discussed EPA’s recent decision to begin the process of redefining ‘Waters of the United States’ (WOTUS) to better provide regulatory certainty for farmers and landowners while also helping empower traditional state governing powers.
"We’re very grateful to host Administrator Pruitt in North Dakota and discuss how federal regulations impact energy, agriculture, and natural resources in our state, and to thank him for his efforts to roll back burdensome and overreaching regulations such as the Waters of the U.S.," said Governor Burgum. "We share the fundamental goals of protecting the environment, improving public health and bolstering our economy. We appreciate Administrator Pruitt’s commitment to empowering states to solve our collective challenges through more innovation instead of more regulation."
"I appreciate Administrator Pruitt coming to North Dakota to hear from our agriculture and energy producers firsthand," said Senator Hoeven. "Their input is vital as we continue working to provide regulatory relief and certainty to empower economic growth and job creation, while ensuring good environmental stewardship."
Administrator Pruitt later traveled to Grand Forks, N.D. with Governor Burgum, Senator Hoeven, Congressman Cramer, Lt. Governor Sanford, and other state officials where they toured the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Center that is working to implement solutions for the world’s environmental and energy challenges. After the tour, Administrator Pruitt and the bipartisan North Dakota delegation held a roundtable with UND faculty and members of the local energy industry to discuss how EPA is working to advance environmental stewardship and encourage innovation for more efficient sources of energy.
Earlier today, Administrator Pruitt and Governor Burgum joined Scott Hennen on his radio show on AM 1100 The Flag. The interview can be listened to here: http://podcast.flagfamily.com/?p=archive&cat=woym