BISMARCK — U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt will visit North Dakota next week, North Dakota's senators said Friday, Sept. 27.
Bernhardt will participate in a "landowner roundtable" Wednesday in Hope, which is about 66 miles northwest of Fargo. He will then travel to Bismarck before going to Medora, where officials hope to build a presidential library for Theodore Roosevelt near the national park that bears his name.
“The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library project is a great opportunity for North Dakota to preserve the life of a president who was shaped by our state,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said in a statement. “That’s why we want to highlight the effort to Secretary Bernhardt to make sure he and his team are on board to help."
State lawmakers this year approved a plan to create a $50 million endowment fund held by the state that would generate earnings to operate and maintain the presidential library. The legislation required $100 million in private donations to construct the facility.
A spokesman for Gov. Doug Burgum, who has advocated for the project, said Bernhardt's visit will include discussions about the project's location. The library could be located on national park land, which Bernhardt's department oversees.
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Hoeven said he'll also highlight maintenance needs at the national park during Bernhardt's visit.
Bernhardt, who took office in April, previously worked in the department from 2001 to 2009. Environmental groups have criticized his history of lobbying for energy and mining interests.
During Bernhardt's confirmation process, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., told him about landowner issues involving easements obtained by the department's Fish and Wildlife Service, which the senator referred to as "bureaucratic abuse."
“I look forward to him hearing from North Dakota landowners as part of our collaborative efforts to find solutions that work for everyone," Cramer said in a statement Friday.
