Dorgan and Tester Say Carbon Capture Technology is Critical to Growth of Coal Industry in N. D., Montana

Press Release

DORGAN AND TESTER SAY CARBON CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY IS CRITICAL TO GROWTH OF COAL INDUSTRY IN N.D., MONTANA

U.S. Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Jon Tester (D-MT) convened a hearing Wednesday to examine the development of carbon capture and storage technology and the role it will play in the future of the energy industry in North Dakota and Montana.

The hearing of the Senate Energy Subcommittee - which was held at Bismarck State College in Bismarck, North Dakota - gathered expert assessments of the current policy, regulatory, and other challenges to the development of carbon capture and storage capabilities. The Senators believe that the Upper Great Plains is an excellent location to begin to test and use carbon capture and can be a national leader in clean coal technology.

The technology is essential to the continued growth of the region's lignite coal industry as the nation works to address the threat of global climate change.

Carbon capture and storage reduces the environmental impact of coal-fired energy by capturing and separating CO2 at the production source, then transporting and storing it underground. In the near term, the CO2 can then be used for enhanced oil and natural gas recovery, even as other long-term storage options are pursued.

The Senators heard from industry leaders, community groups and state and federal officials about what needs to be done to further develop carbon capture and storage technologies to decrease the emissions of greenhouse gases.

"We will always need to use our coal resource. The question is not if, but how," Dorgan said. "As we strive to achieve energy independence and reduce the impact of climate change, we need to invest in the technology that will ensure we use our coal resources in an environmentally friendly way."

"It's critically important to get a head start on carbon capture and storage so we can fight climate change while developing coal—our biggest energy resource," Tester said. "Getting the right technology and policies in place as soon as possible is the responsible thing to do, and it will also help wean us from expensive foreign energy and the billionaires who control it."

The committee heard from representatives of the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Interior, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the Lignite Energy Council, PPL-Montana, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership, and the Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership, which is led by the Energy and Environmental Research Center.

Senator Dorgan chairs Energy Subcommittee. Senator Tester is a member.

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