Latest news with #DickAnderson
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers pass bill promoting rare earth mineral development in North Dakota
Rep. Dick Anderson, R-Willow City, talks to a colleague on May 1, 2025, in the House chamber. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor) A bill that intends to keep North Dakota on the forefront of rare earth mineral development is on its way to the governor after lengthy debate Friday. Rep. Dick Anderson, R-Willow City, the sponsor of House Bill 1459, said the bill is needed to position North Dakota for a facility to process rare earth minerals, which can be embedded with coal that is already slated for mining. He said there could be federal funding for such a facility. The bill passed the House 63-26 and then the Senate 27-19. China supplies most of the rare earth minerals needed for electronics. Scott Meyer, R-Grand Forks, supported the bill in the interest of national security and not being reliant on China. For many opponents, a major sticking point on the bill was language that set a royalty payment for mineral rights owners at 2.5% on the rare earth minerals found within a coal seam. That would be on top of the royalty payment that had been negotiated in the coal lease. Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, R-Williston, said the bill denies the rights of mineral owners to negotiate with coal companies. 'I would want to have the ability to negotiate another lease,' Bekkedahl said. Rare earth minerals seen as a rare opportunity in North Dakota The Northwest Landowners Association, which represents property owners with coal leases, argued that the royalty provision was unconstitutional. Several House members agreed with that sentiment when the conference committee report was presented on the House floor Thursday morning. The bill was sent back to the conference committee for more work. Members of the conference committee said the royalty was in the best interest of mineral owners to ensure they get some compensation for the rare earth minerals. Sen. Dale Patten, R-Watford City, said the rare earth minerals are part of the coal. He said the royalty provision 'is a way for that mineral owner to realize revenue,' and without it they may get nothing. Patten noted that coal companies can make the legal argument that the coal leases already cover development of rare earth minerals. Language was added to the bill at the recommendation of Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, who is an attorney, specifying that mineral owners and the coal companies could renegotiate the terms of the lease. Klemin said the change addressed some of his concerns but not all of them. He said the bill retroactively changing existing leasing was troubling. Anderson said the technology is improving to extract rare earth minerals from the ash of coal that has already been burned, known as fly ash. While that process is more expensive, he said if that happens, the mineral owners could get nothing. 'If you get too greedy, you lose,' Anderson said in a conference committee meeting Friday. Rep. Todd Porter, R-Mandan, said litigation was 'inevitable' but passing the bill helps frame the issues for the court system and 'provides clarity and certainty to industry' that will make them more likely to invest in rare earth mineral processing in the state. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon Senate passes ‘game-changer' bill to streamline housing development
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Amid Oregon's housing crisis, the Oregon Senate passed a bipartisan bill on Monday to streamline housing development. Under Senate Bill 974, local governments would have 90 days to make decisions on land-use development applications for housing in urban areas. The bill also eases requirements for design review for building style and landscaping while maintaining other standards for size, fire codes and safety regulations. 'Cutting down the timeline to break ground is a game-changer for families waiting on housing and builders ready to get to work,' said Sen. Dick Anderson (R – Lincoln City), who led the bill. 'Today's vote sends a clear message: Oregon is ready to build.' DON'T MISS: Study reveals the average income Oregonians need to buy a typical home in 2025 Under the bill, the timeline for application decisions starts when developers submit their final engineering plans to develop land for single-family homes, manufactured housing and multi-unit buildings. SB 974 applies to cities, counties, and special districts within urban growth boundaries, the Democratic Senate Majority Office said in a press release, noting, without the bill, local governments can wait up to 150 days to make a final decision on land-use applications. 'Senate Bill 974 has teeth,' the Senate Majority Office said, adding that local governments that fail to meet the 90-day deadline could end up paying developers' engineering costs and attorney fees. On air, '60 Minutes' reporter says 'none of us is happy' about changes that led top producer to quit 'We bring hurdles down so developers can put housing up,' said Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama (D – Portland, Damascus & Boring), a chief sponsor of the bill. 'Long delays on application decisions were holding up subdividing land, putting in roads and utilities, and more. Today's legislation smooths the way.' 'The State of Oregon must continue to make it easier and faster to build more housing to address our state's homelessness and housing affordability crises,' added Sen. Khanh Pham (D – Outer NE & SE Portland). 'I'm grateful for the continued bipartisan commitment from my Senate colleagues to advance a bold agenda to build housing that meets the needs of Oregonians at all ages, wages and stages of life.' The bill unanimously passed the Senate and heads to the Oregon House of Representatives for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon bill could impact local newspapers — Have your say
SALEM — Oregon lawmakers are asking for the public's input on a bill that could have big impacts on local newspapers, and tech giants like Google and Facebook. The Oregon Journalism Protection Act would require large online platforms, such as Google, to either pay newspapers for making money off online news articles or contribute to a statewide civic media fund aimed at strengthening local news. 'When newsrooms close, Oregonians lose,' said the bill's author, Senator Khanh Pham, D-Portland. 'This bill creates a lasting solution for Oregon's local news crisis that will protect journalism jobs, spur start ups in news deserts, and better inform Oregonians. Local journalism is vital to a healthy democracy, keeping our communities connected and engaged, and holding powerful entities to account.' Newsrooms across Oregon have faced dire financial challenges for years, as advertising revenue has shifted massively to digital platforms, especially Google and Facebook, leaving newspapers without the revenue needed to stay open. Proponents say the bill would rebalance the online ads market and reinvest in Oregon's local journalism. Representatives from several media outlets, including reporters and publishers from the Carpenter Media Group, attended the bill's first hearing on Wednesday. 'Local news media is the heartbeat of our small towns in Oregon,' said Senator Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City. '…They help connect family-owned restaurants, hardware stores, and fishermen in the community where they serve. But as Big Tech swallows up all the ad dollars, these local media companies are fighting to stay afloat.' Under the bill, platforms make direct payments to qualifying news sites and donate to a newly established Oregon Civic Information Consortium, which would issue grants to newsrooms. Platforms would also be required to publish annual transparency reports detailing which news articles they promoted and how compensation was distributed. 'I miss my local newspaper,' said Senator Sarah Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis. 'We still have a paper that is printed, but it is just filled with words from other places, from people that don't live in the town that I live in…Our local papers are critical to civic engagement, to building community, to helping people have a sense of place, of understanding what makes their community unique, and helping them understand how they can make a difference in that community.' Members of the public can submit written testimony until 1 p.m. on Friday.
