Pomeroy: Issues Facing North Dakota

By Krista Thom
Contributing Writer

Earl Pomeroy, Congressman for North Dakota in the House of Representatives for 18 years, served on the powerful Ways and Means and Agriculture Committees, and was Co-Chair of the bipartisan Rural Health Care Coalition.

Jobs in North Dakota

Pomeroy pointed out that the job situation in North Dakota is unique compared to the rest of the country. Instead of lowering unemployment, the challenge is to develop the infrastructure so our communities can handle the influx of people.

In Pomeroy’s view, the number one infrastructure concern is housing. There are places in western North Dakota where people don’t have access to decent housing – which is especially distressing in the middle of winter. The second most pressing concern is roads. Many communities only have farm-to-market roads, which are now being forced to handle industrial traffic. The lack of proper roads leads to dangerous driving conditions for everyone.

Energy

One of Pomeroy’s biggest issues with the last Congress was the lack of attention it gave to energy issues. Pomeroy says conservation must play a bigger role in the country’s energy policy. “We waste energy – that means we have to import more energy.” Congress should look at setting vehicular mile requirements, and making buildings more energy efficient.

North Dakota is full of energy sources that are waiting to be tapped. In addition to fossil fuels, it can take advantage of renewable sources, such wind and solar energy. Pomeroy did stress, though, that the nation is a long way from giving up oil. “There’s no getting away from the fact that we’re going to be burning a lot of oil for a long time in this country.”

Flood Protection in the Red River Valley and Devil’s Lake

Pomeroy said he still has faith that government can do the things that truly need to get done, and protecting North Dakotans from floodwaters needs to get done. “People aren’t going to be able to use rhetoric and litigation to stop Mother Nature,” he said. “Either we find a way to work together and get this done, or the cost to our region is going to be completely unacceptable, in human terms as well as economic terms.”

The Shooting of Rep. Giffords

When asked about the recent shooting in Arizona, Pomeroy was quick to heap praise on Rep. Giffords. “It is particularly appalling that someone as sweet, and talented, and constructive, and positive as Gabby Giffords would be the ultimate target of this madman,” he said. “I can’t tell you how sick I am by this whole thing.”

Pomeroy isn’t entirely surprised that politics would escalate to the point of violence. He says, “I think one thing we can quickly conclude is that making inflammatory remarks, in ways that are outside the parameters of accepted debate, raises the risk that someone’s going to get shot.”
Still, he says, the timing of the shooting caught him off guard. “I thought that with the election now done, with the terrible ads off television, with the change in the house, that the public had settled down somewhat. So I was very surprised that this would occur at this time. But again, this is the act of a madman. He isn’t paying attention to the legislative calendar of Congress.”

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