Congressional Spotlight: Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-ND

A life-long North Dakotan, Rep. Kelly Armstrong has represented North Dakota's at-large Congressional District since 2019. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Energy Workforce: You know the energy industry well from when you joined the family business, which includes oil and gas exploration. What lessons from the industry do you carry on to this day and to your work in Congress?

I have been involved in the oil and gas industry my entire life. I have been there when times were good and the sky was the limit, and I have been there when times were tough, and every DC pundit was saying the industry’s days were numbered. One important lesson I learned was that the biggest threat to the industry isn’t a foreign actor or something out of our control, but it is the federal government.

"Many of the most innovative and enterprising people I know work in the oil and gas industry. They are always striving to find ways to increase production, improve efficiency, and develop resources in an environmentally responsible way. They want to improve their communities and care for the land because they live in the oil patch. Their kids go to school there. They go to church there."

"But the activists within the federal government, particularly in recent years, have made it clear they believe Washington knows what is best for the industry, not the experts. Any opportunity we get to return decision making to the lawmaking bodies closest to the people, state and local governments, the better. We need to get the federal government out of the way, allow technology and innovation to thrive, and continue to deliver the reliable and affordable energy Americans and the world need."

Energy Workforce: As a new Congress approaches, what issues are you looking forward to working on for Americans and your Constituents?

"The first bill in the next Congress needs to be to secure the Southern border. We have an unprecedented crisis at the border with record numbers of illegal crossings affecting communities not just in the Southwest, but across the country."

On the energy front, we have to get serious about permitting and litigation reform. My state can produce the affordable energy we need, but it won’t matter if we can’t get a transmission line or a pipeline in to transport it to market. We need to streamline the federal permitting process because it is duplicative, burdensome and can take too long to complete.

"We also need to reform the permits process. Because of uncertainty, it makes it nearly impossible to raise capital for projects. And I want to be clear, any permitting reform without litigation reform won’t be enough. We know all too well that groups have found a way to slow down a project for decades if they wish to because of the ability to litigate at every step."

Energy Workforce: Do you think that U.S. policymakers are getting the message about how important energy security is and that oil and gas are a huge part of this formula? We have seen some movement by the Biden Administration in some respects but at the same time they continue to limit access to leases on federal lands and waters.

I work every day to educate my colleges in Congress on the importance of having a reliable energy supply. We have to bring this conversation to non-energy producing places. What we do is important for their future too. North Dakota is proud of what we do, which is feed and fuel the world. It is states like mine – and industries like oil and gas – that made our country energy independent in the first place.

"Too often, lawmakers believe the answer to any problem is a new federal program or additional regulation, regardless of the harm done to the country. Policymakers won’t get the message unless we share it with them, and I am proud to share our incredible success story with anyone who will listen."

Energy Workforce: North Dakota recently became home to the first facility permitted under state primacy to capture and store CO2 in the United States. The state was the first to be granted primacy from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2018 following by Wyoming in 2020. Why is allowing states primacy important for the development of such projects that are critical to emissions reduction? Do you expect North Dakota to be a leader in permanent CO2 storage given the geology?

We are incredibly proud to be leaders in carbon capture and storage. This wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have primacy over the EPA. The federal government is a blunt instrument. It can either regulate or throw money around. What it can’t do is be responsive to the needs of producers to make sound business decisions.

"Having primacy allowed lawmakers in Bismarck to set an attainable mechanism for permitting, regulating and executing a program that will be economical and make sense."

"North Dakota will continue to be a leader in this technology. While Red Trail Energy near Richardton is the first project to begin operating in our state, there are many others underway. We have Coal Creek Station near Underwood, Project Tundra near Center and many more groundbreaking initiatives. I am confident that our state provides an example for others across the country to emulate and shows the way forward to providing reliable energy for future generations."

Energy Workforce: Are you bullish on North Dakota continuing to benefit from the energy expansion? What is your long-term outlook for the state and its workforce?

North Dakota is a state that attracts people with ambition. In the Bakken, we have some built-in challenges, like the transportation discount and interesting weather, but we have great geology and a lot of sweet crude to extract. We became one of the top oil producing states in the country because we have a good business and regulatory environment and because a bunch of really smart people risked significant capital to develop our resources.

"Like the entire country, the current workforce shortage is a significant barrier to expansion. In a state like North Dakota, these shortages cut across the entire economy, not just the energy sector. When the Bakken is short on truck drivers, the rest of the state is soon to follow."

"We have to be smart about the way we educate America’s future workforce and meet specific needs. Job training that truly represents the needs of the economy, coupled with attracting workers from across the country to join us in North Dakota, will provide our energy producers the stable workforce needed to continue fueling the world."