Lieutenant Governor receives 2018 Public Leadership in Energy and Environmental Stewardship Award
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 27, 2019) – North Dakota Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford today was awarded the 2018 Public Leadership in Energy and Environmental Stewardship award, a nationwide recognition of his work on energy and the environment.
Sanford is the eighth recipient of this annual award presented by Baker Hughes, a GE Company, in partnership with the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA).
Presenting the award, Paul Doucette of Baker Hughes said: “During his time as lieutenant governor, as well as his past role as mayor of Watford City in the nation’s fastest-growing county, Brent Sanford has been a consistent champion of responsible energy production and community development. This award recognizes Lt. Gov. Sanford’s longtime commitment to addressing the challenges facing communities and the environment with an approach that promotes innovation over regulation.”
“With an all-of-the-above approach to energy development, North Dakota has staked a position as the country’s No. 2 oil-producing state and No. 6 energy producer overall, while claiming some of the cleanest water and air in the nation. From oil and gas to coal, wind and solar power, North Dakota plays an essential role in U.S. energy dominance and energy security. We commend Lt. Gov. Sanford for balancing energy concerns, environmental imperatives and consumer interests in his home state,” Doucette continued.
In receiving the award, Sanford said, “As a state whose top two industries, agriculture and energy, rely on our abundant natural resources, North Dakota has a strong heritage of environmental stewardship and responsible development. Our administration takes pride in carrying on this tradition and developing innovative ways such as the iPIPE project to respond to environmental concerns, and I take seriously my role as a key liaison with our regulatory agencies that oversee oil and gas development and the environment. We’ve also worked hard to strengthen our partnership with the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation to ensure a stable and consistent tax and regulatory environment across all of North Dakota, incentivizing the kind of capital investment we need to increase gas capture and be good environmental stewards.”
“NLGA partners in this recognition process to assist in bi-partisan identification of established and up-and-coming leaders committed to effectively tackling the current and future challenges of our nation,” said NLGA Director Julia Hurst. “By recognizing Lt. Gov. Sanford, attention is brought to his accomplishments in North Dakota in a way that can bring new ideas to other states.”
The award was announced and the presentation made during the NLGA Federal-State Relations meeting in Washington D.C.
Sanford also participated in a roundtable discussion with fellow lieutenant governors at the White House focused on the economy and workforce development, and rebalancing trade and growing exports. Among the other participants was Linda McMahon, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Deputy U.S. Trade Representative C.J. Mahoney.