Hoeven Visits Canada and Alaska Oil Areas - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Senator John Hoeven says an energy policy like North Dakota's needs to be adopted at the national level to end our dependence on foreign oil.

Senator John Hoeven recently toured the north slope of Alaska, where oil production has nearly been cut in 1/2.

From 140-thousand barrels to 78-thousand barrels a day.

Hoeven says 90% of the production in North Dakota is on private land, but 90% of the production in Alaska is on public land.

He says because the drillers can't expand, North Dakota is now the second largest oil producing state in the nation. 

(Senator John Hoeven / ND (R)) "In North Dakota we can approve a permit for a new well in about 10 days, on average in the state on private land. But, on federal land here it takes 290 days."

Hoeven also toured the oil sands of Canada, where 1.3 million barrels of oil are being produced a day, with the potential of producing 3 million barrels a day.

Hoeven believes energy security can be met within 5-7 years by working with Canada, but says developing the XL Keystone Pipeline is necessary to make that happen.

(Senator John Hoeven / ND (R)) "When Keystone was blocked their prime minister went to China and now a Chinese company has made a huge offer, 15 billion dollars to start buying companies in the oil sands, so this oil is going to China if we don't get on it."

Hoeven says regulations are so strict, drillers have been trying for 4 years to get a well permitted in the national petroleum reserve Alaska, which is set up for drilling.