03.08.16

Hoeven Presses Energy Secretary to Support Programs to Develop Carbon Capture Technology, Drive Down Costs

Senator Working to Advance Commercially Viable CO2 Sequestration Technology

WASHINGTON – During a hearing of the Senate Energy Committee last week, Senator John Hoeven urged Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to support programs that help develop commercially viable technologies that reduce CO2 emissions. Hoeven highlighted innovative projects moving forward in North Dakota, such as the Allam cycle and using CO2 in enhanced oil recovery, but stressed how high costs can prevent energy companies from deploying such technology on a larger scale. The senator urged Moniz to pursue partnerships between the department and industry to help drive down the costs of the new technologies.

“The energy industry in North Dakota continues to be on the cutting-edge, developing innovative technologies and techniques to produce more energy with better environmental stewardship,” Hoeven said. “As with most new research and development, the costs are still too high to be commercially viable. The president’s plan for carbon dioxide reductions does not reflect this reality. I continue working with Secretary Moniz to support our energy industry as it works to make these technologies more cost-effective and implement them on a large scale sooner, which will help ensure affordable electricity for families and businesses.”

As a member of the Energy Committee and the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, Hoeven has worked to advance the development and deployment of innovative energy technologies. The senator has promoted more cooperative agreements between the Department of Energy and the nation’s research universities, highlighting the work of the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota (UND) and the Center for Computationally Assisted Science and Technology (CCAST) at North Dakota State University (NDSU) to bring new energy technology to market. Last year, Hoeven also announced that the EERC and the DOE had renewed their cooperative agreement for two years, following a meeting the senator arranged between Secretary Moniz, EERC Director Tom Erickson and Associate Director for Research John Harju.

At the same time, Hoeven is working to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing its costly carbon dioxide regulations on new and existing power plants. Last month, Hoeven joined 204 of his Congressional colleagues in filing an amicus brief supporting suits filed by 27 states, including North Dakota, seeking to overturn the EPA’s final carbon dioxide emissions rule.

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