07.02.19

Hoeven: Senate Passes Legislation to Promote CCUS Technology & Infrastructure

Senator Cosponsored Legislation to Help Advance CO2 Utilization, Needed Infrastructure for CCUS Project at Red Trail Ethanol & Project Tundra

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy Committee and the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate passed the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act, bipartisan legislation he cosponsored to promote the research and development of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology. The bill, which was introduced by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), recently passed as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and would incentivize collaboration between federal, state and private entities to develop facilities for CCUS and direct air capture as well as pipelines to transport captured CO2.

“Our legislation provides important support for the development and implementation of CCUS technology, which will benefit both traditional and renewable energy,” Hoeven said. “North Dakota is already an energy powerhouse. By supporting the good work of organizations like EERC, we can continue to grow our domestic energy industry, providing good jobs and affordable energy for our nation while also reducing emissions.” 

Specifically, the USE IT Act would:

  • Authorize $50 million for technical and financial assistance to CO2 utilization projects.
  • Provide greater permitting certainty for CO2 pipelines, which are needed by Project Tundra and other CCUS projects, by classifying them as “covered projects” under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, similar to electricity transmission, surface transportation, aviation and water resource projects.
  • Establish permitting guidance for developers and operators of CCUS projects, enabling them to better evaluate project costs.
  • Authorize $35 million for a competitive grant under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for direct air capture research.

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