Dorgan Outlines Priorities for North Dakota's Energy Future

Press Release

DORGAN OUTLINES PRIORITIES FOR NORTH DAKOTA'S ENERGY FUTURE

Dorgan to kick off Great Plains Energy Expo on Monday in Bismarck

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) will outline three critical steps that are necessary to continue robust energy production in North Dakota that need to be taken by both the federal and state governments.

In a speech set for 9:00 AM Monday to kick off the Great Plains Energy Expo at the Bismarck Civic Center, Dorgan will outline three priorities that must be accomplished in order for North Dakota to take full advantage of its energy future:

• Eliminating stranded energy by building more transmission and pipeline capacity.
"Our state is a major producer of both electricity and oil and gas. We need to be able to export our energy to other markets. As we increase production, we must increase transmission and pipeline capacity to keep energy from being stranded," said Dorgan. "We need more pipeline capacity to move North Dakota's oil to markets around the country where it is needed. And, we need to build more transmission capability to move electricity to major markets. If we do not build the capability to move our energy to markets where it is needed, it will diminish our capability to produce and market both oil and wind energy."

• Investing in clean coal technology.
"North Dakota has a vast reserve of lignite coal that could continue to power the nation, but we have to begin capturing the carbon dioxide from coal fired generating plants in order to protect our environment," said Dorgan. As Chairman of the appropriations subcommittee funding energy programs, he has been substantially boosting funding for research and demonstrations projects that will demonstrate carbon capture and storage technologies so that coal and other fossil fuels will continue to be used in the future. "I'm convinced we can create zero emissions coal fired generating plants in the future, which will allow us to continue to use our most abundant resource while we protect our environment."

• Increasing refining capacity.
"In North Dakota we produce twice as much oil as we use, but we have had occasions recently when there have been shortages of gasoline and diesel fuel. We need to create additional refining capacity in the state by expanding existing refineries or providing incentives for another company to come in and build a refinery," said Dorgan. "We're told that North Dakota is short of refined product from time to time because we are at the end of the pipeline, but that's absurd because we are at the beginning of the pipeline. With additional refining capacity, we could meet the fuel needs of North Dakota and not rely as much on gasoline and diesel coming from out of state."

Dorgan will make additional remarks about North Dakota's energy future at the second annual Energy Expo. Keynote speakers, including T. Boone Pickens and the Directors of Sandia and Oak Ridge National Laboratories, will also be speaking on the future energy needs of the country. In addition, there are workshops and a showcase, and the entire expo is open to the public beginning Monday at 9:00 AM at the Bismarck Civic Center.

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