Burgum: Pembina Gorge Foundation awarded $2.2M grant for improvements at Frost Fire Park
Gov. Doug Burgum on Thursday announced that the Pembina Gorge Foundation has been awarded a nearly $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for a snowmaking infrastructure improvement and expansion project at Frost Fire Park.
Burgum sent the EDA a letter last June in support of the grant application for the ski resort near Walhalla, N.D., noting the state had legislatively appropriated $1.65 million in funding over the last two biennia for infrastructure enhancements at Frost Fire.
“Frost Fire Park is a hidden gem in heart of the Pembina Gorge in the Rendezvous Region of northeastern North Dakota,” Burgum stated. “We are grateful for the work the Pembina Gorge Foundation has done to continue service and expand operations at Frost Fire. The improvements made in recent years, along with infrastructure work they plan to complete with EDA assistance, will better serve the people of North Dakota and help create healthy, vibrant communities in the region.”
Burgum expressed his gratitude to Red River Regional Council Executive Director Dawn Mandt and the North Dakota Department of Commerce and its Tourism Division for their work on the grant application.
Burgum statement on Biden administration’s plan to release 180M barrels from Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Gov. Burgum released the following statement Thursday after President Joe Biden announced plans to release more than 180 million barrels of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve over the next six months.
“Once again, President Biden is relying on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and foreign nations to boost oil output when he should instead be working directly with U.S. oil companies and removing federal roadblocks to increase domestic production,” Burgum said. “Instead of demonizing U.S. oil producers and threatening to impose fees on them based on misleading data points about federal leases, the Biden administration needs to embrace a realistic long-term path to U.S. energy independence – one that sends a clear signal that his administration supports U.S. oil production and infrastructure so that capital investment will flow toward, instead of away from, energy producing states like North Dakota at the cutting edge of carbon capture technology. Today’s announcement does little to reduce prices at the pump, ease the burden on hardworking Americans or unleash homegrown energy production with a mix of clean fossil fuels and renewables.”
The Biden administration should also commit now to a plan to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve with U.S.-produced oil and provide an immediate waiver to the Jones Act to reduce shipping costs and ensure that all U.S. refiners have access to the SPR releases, Burgum added.
Burgum recently invited President Biden to North Dakota to see firsthand the work of clean, efficient, domestic oil production and how carbon storage can play an immediate and significant role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Governor Burgum's op-ed was published in USA TODAY. Read the full article at the link below.
Lt. Gov. Sanford speaks to Future Business Leaders of America
On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford opened the awards session for the annual State Leadership Conference for the Future Business Leaders of America in Bismarck.
For more than 55 years, FBLA has had a presence in North Dakota, impacting future leaders across multiple industries and spreading to every corner of the state in 86 different chapters.
Qualifiers from this week's session will travel to Chicago in June to take part in the national competition.
Applications for Governor's Band/Orchestra Program and Choral Program due April 7
Gov. Burgum is encouraging school, community and church bands, orchestras and choirs across North Dakota to apply to serve as the Governor’s Official State Band/Orchestra Program and Choral Program for the 2022-2023 school year.
The Governor and First Lady will select the Governor’s Band/Orchestra Program and Governor’s Choral Program from the applications received based on musical talent, achievement and community involvement. The band/orchestra and chorus may be invited by the governor to perform at official state functions held throughout the year, including the State of the State Address.
Interested groups should submit an application, references and a musical recording to the Office of the Governor by 5 p.m. Thursday, April 7. The Governor’s Band/Orchestra Program and Governor’s Choral Program will be announced in mid-April and may be invited to perform at the Capitol in mid-May 2022 and at events throughout the 2022-2023 school year. Please complete the application and provide materials here.
Click the link below to read the delegation members' statements.
Registration for the Governor's Summit on Innovative Education is now open!
The FREE event will continue to focus on innovative instructional best practices to personalize learning, as well as other community-derived solutions to best prepare young people for the 21st century economy and citizenship.
Reserve your seat today at the link below: