BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — North Dakota Senator John Hoeven has secured funding for two projects in the state and helped get a bill passed for another.

First, Hoeven announced that Project ULTRA, a partnership involving the Grand Forks County that aims to test the viability of drones for military cargo transport, has moved on to the next step.

Hoeven secured $3.5 million in funding for this fiscal year, along with another $7 million for 2025, to conduct test flights of cargo between the Grand Forks Air Force Base and the Cavalier Space Force Station, which is also in North Dakota.

“Project ULTRA is all about realizing the potential of unmanned aircraft to support a wide range of defense operations, from logistics to countering threats from other drones,” Hoeven said.

This project could provide a template for military bases across the country to use so they can transfer cargo and other items.

Next, Hoeven announced that he received the first portion of a $350 million award he secured for Project Tundra, a carbon capture, utilization and storage effort.

The project is intended to ensure the reliability of North Dakota’s electric grid for the future.

So far, Hoeven received $4.2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to complete the development of the project.

“Every day, our nation relies on affordable baseload power that is available 24/7, regardless of weather. Project Tundra is about implementing new technologies to ensure a future for critical baseload power sources like coal,” said Hoeven, “We’ve worked to put the tools in place to move this and other CCUS efforts forward on a commercially viable basis. Today’s award, which is the first distribution from the $350 million of funding we secured last year, is an important milestone as Project Tundra progresses through its final stage of development.”

Lastly, Hoeven announced the passing of the bipartisan Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

This act would support the recruitment and retention of officers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), increase federal missing persons resources, and give Tribes and states tools to combat violence.

“Securing committee approval of our legislation is an important step toward strengthening the resources available to Tribal law enforcement,” said Senator Hoeven, “Our bill authorizes the BIA to conduct its own background check of law enforcement applicants, which empowers Tribes to meet their law enforcement staffing and infrastructure needs, enhances public safety and helps bring offenders to justice.”

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