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Message from Senator Byron Dorgan
6/10/2005
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I remember the day the seed for the REAP Zone program was first planted. It was 1995 and then-President Clinton was in the middle of a fierce fight to get Congress to approve his budget. A phone discussion I had with the President about the upcoming vote gave me the opportunity to make the pitch for America’s rural counties and the unique challenges they face in spurring economic development and stemming the tide of out-migration.
From this conversation, REAP zones were born. And they have worked. I can’t begin to list all of the accomplishments and projects that have taken root. These projects are the result of not only money from the federal government, but mostly from the hard work of all the Southwest REAP and CONAC REAP zones, the Griggs-Steele Empowerment Zone, Champion Communities, the REAP Investment Board and the Champion REAP Alliance Boards.
And the future looks bright for continued growth of these projects.
One area in which I expect significant growth in the coming years is the field of energy. North Dakota has a rich supply of energy resources—from oil and gas to wind and biodiesel. Our state’s small communities, particularly ones with a REAP zone designation, have much to contribute to this field. And as the Senate works toward a new energy bill this year, there will be an array of opportunities ripe for development in North Dakota towns of every size.
In fact, as a member of the Senate Energy Committee, I recently managed to add an ethanol mandate to the energy bill. This ethanol mandate is part of a larger provision called the Renewable Fuels Standard and requires refiners to produce and use a minimum of 8 billion gallons of ethanol in their gasoline blends annually by 2012. Currently, refiners only use 3.5 billion gallons, so this is a considerable increase. The ethanol mandate will add substantial value to North Dakota’s grains and spur economic development in the state’s ethanol and biodiesel industries.
This energy bill represents a huge step forward for economic development in North Dakota. We can grow energy right in our fields and sell it to an even broader marketplace.
Just after that provision was added, we received more good news that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is requiring California, Connecticut and New York to use gasoline additives like ethanol to help fight air pollution.
The ethanol and biodiesel industries in North Dakota now are well-positioned to see dramatic growth in the years ahead.
For example, take a look at Red Trail Energy, a recipient of a $40,000 planning grant from the REAP program that is building a lignite coal-fired ethanol plant in Richardton, North Dakota.
The work we are doing on this new energy bill holds great promise for companies like Red Trail and for other companies that may not yet even exist.
That is why the REAP and CONAC zones are so important. They represent incubators of growth where ideas have a chance to bloom. And when other opportunities come along, like ones I hope a new energy bill will create, the projects can really take off. REAP zones have proven that rural America has a strong chance to not only survive, but to thrive—with innovation and a coordinated effort to grow businesses and communities.
As you may know, the REAP zone designation expires this September. I am working hard with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend the REAP zone designation for another five years. There are exciting projects ahead, and I intend to fight hard to see that the program’s decade full of successes only continues to grow in the next 10 years.
U.S. Senator Byron L. Dorgan
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More Info, Contact: |
Laura Every, CRA Director |
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701-438-2660 |
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levery@gondtc.com |
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