Bipartisan Majority Approves Comprehensive Energy Infrastructure Bill

Press Release

oday, the House passed H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act, which modernizes our energy infrastructure, protects the electrical grid, streamlines energy exports, and provides regulatory relief for manufacturers and small businesses. The measure passed 249-174 with bipartisan support.

Included in the comprehensive energy bill is Rep. Ryan Zinke's H.R. 2358, the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act, which is listed as Section 1112, "Vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance on Federal lands containing electric transmission and distribution facilities." The Congressman also lead and passed an amendment to block the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) from preemptively stopping the Gateway Pacific Terminal (GPT), which the Crow tribe is a part owner of.

"As a whole, this bill addresses a key issue facing Montana: improving our energy infrastructure," said Rep. Zinke. "In order for us to remain globally competitive, we need innovative approaches to enhance our energy development potential. H.R.8 does exactly that. I am proud to have my bill, H.R.2358, included within the package. Currently, if a tree falls on a power line that is on federal land, utility crews must go through regulatory back flips just to remove it. It should not take an act of Congress to remove a tree. Our co-ops, who service 40 percent of Montana, deserve far better, as do all Americans who need reliable electric service to keep their lights on."

"Delivering affordable and reliable electricity in a state such as Montana with its vast and diverse geographical terrain is a constant challenge. Rep. Zinke's legislation is vital for helping ensure that this challenge isn't made insurmountable by unnecessary bureaucratic red tape," said Dave Wheelihan, CEO of Montana Electric Cooperatives' Association. The association represents consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative utilities serving about 40 percent of the state's population.

Mark Hayden, General Manager of the Missoula Electric Cooperative said, "Missoula Electric Cooperative strongly supports the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act of 2015 which was introduced by Congressman Zinke. The bill would give electric utilities more consistent and streamlined processes in order to manage our rights-of-way on federal land. It allows for sensible procedures to reduce the long delays that have become the norm for some utilities, and proposes training of federal personnel to ensure consistency going forward."

As it stands, if a tree presents an imminent danger of falling on a power line that is on federal land, utility crews have to go through a rather lengthy bureaucratic process just to remove a single tree. Just one tree hitting a power line is all it takes to financially devastate a co-op or utility company, destroy thousands of acres of forest land, and jeopardize our entire electric grid. That doesn't just apply to Montana, this can happen anywhere in the U.S.

"I also appreciate the inclusion of the McKinley/Zinke amendment to H.R.8. This amendment is not about picking sides, it is about fairness," Zinke said. "The USACE should play by the rules they have established, which stakeholders and tribes spend millions of dollars to comply with. An Environmental Impact Study (EIS) will determine any tribal or environmental impacts, and that is what we want: for the process to continue as it always has. Not following this established process will set a dangerous precedent that will impact future projects across the country."

The Crow Tribe is a major stakeholder in this project because they plan to utilize the facility to export their coal reserves to the Asia Pacific markets. The proposed GPT project is vital to the future of the Crow Tribe. It is, quite literally, the difference between potential prosperity for the Crow people and dire poverty.

Crow Chairman Darrin Old Coyote hailed the passage, "The Gateway Pacific Terminal is a project that is essential to my tribe's future and our economic hopes are at this point completely dependent on securing a port for exporting our low-sulfur coal to markets that currently rely on high-sulfur coal supplies. It is so essential that my tribe has actually taken an interest in the project and are a part-owner of this project."

Zinke continued, "I firmly believe in tribal sovereignty. I want for treaty rights to be bolstered and tribes to be thoroughly consulted. Unfortunately, that is not happening right now. The Crow Nation of Montana has been consistently ignored by the USACE despite the fact that this project directly impacts their treaty interests. This is unacceptable. They deserve the opportunity to sit at the table to discuss this potential project."

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