Hoeven Visits Williston | Video

Chris Williams | 9/17/2012

Drilling for oil in North Dakota is regulated by the state and Senator John Hoeven says that`s the way it should be across the country.

"How we do it here why it is vital for energy production in this part of the world as well as throughout the country. How we do it right, how we do it well, and how we need a state led approach to regulating it not a federal approach."

In Alaska, drilling for oil is regulated by the federal government and it can take awhile to get permits to start drilling.

"You can’t have a legal and regulatory environment that holds up permitting and transpiration projects and energy development for five, six years and longer," added Hoeven.

Shell has been trying for six years to drill in parts of Alaska, but can`t because Murkowski says the federal government owns 60 percent of the land. It`s turning other companies away.

"Both have now indicated in view of what’s going on with shell that maybe this is just too long, maybe this is too expensive. Are those the positives signals that we want to send to developers of resources? I don`t think so," said Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Murkowski says things need to change, so the country can become energy independent.

"What we need to do is revisit the permitting process, and ensure that there is a process that works when we are accessing our resources on federal lands."

Senator Hoeven says his colleague`s two days in North Dakota may be an important opportunity to lead the country in a new energy direction.

"Bottom line it`s about making sure she and other energy leaders in congress understand what we need to do to get the right energy plan in place for this country," Hoeven added.

Both senators also toured Williston to see how energy has impacted the town.

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