01.19.17

Hoeven Reaffirms Energy Secretary Nominee's Commitment to Visit North Dakota, See Innovative Projects Firsthand

Senator Highlights EERC, CCS Projects Allam Cycle & Project Tundra with Governor Perry

WASHINGTON – At a Senate Energy Committee hearing today, Senator John Hoeven reaffirmed former Texas Governor and Energy Secretary nominee Rick Perry’s commitment to visit North Dakota and see firsthand the innovative research and development that is ongoing in the state.

“Governor Perry has demonstrated that he understands we need an all-of-the-above, states-first approach to developing our energy resources,” Hoeven said. “We are doing a lot of innovative work in our state, and going forward, we will need Governor Perry’s help to develop and commercialize these technologies, like the Allam Cycle and Project Tundra. That’s why I’ve invited him to our state, so he can see these important efforts firsthand.”

During the hearing, Hoeven drove home the importance of new technology in producing more energy with better environmental stewardship. The senator highlighted the work of theEnergy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota (UND) as well as two carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects in the state:

·        Allam Cycle – a pilot and demonstration project being developed by Basin Electric and Allete Inc. to reduce CO2 emissions and increase efficiency in new coal-fired and natural gas power plants.

·        Project Tundra – a next-generation, advanced, full-plant scrubbing technology project to retrofit existing plants to capture CO2, which can then be sequestered or used in enhanced oil recovery, making the facilities viable into the future.

Hoeven serves as a member of the Senate Energy Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee.

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