In a phone call today with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Gov. Doug Burgum highlighted opportunities to help meet the nation’s energy needs in a sustainable way through research and development of carbon capture, storage and utilization (CCUS) technology by the oil and gas, coal and biofuel industries.
The discussion came just hours after Burgum, speaking at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference, challenged the energy industry to help make North Dakota a carbon-neutral state by the end of the decade, citing several CCUS initiatives being planned or underway.
Burgum stressed the importance of innovation over regulation to maintain U.S. energy independence and energy security and to ensure that environmental and social governance (ESG) policies don’t discourage innovation and investment into solutions that will allow for a continued all-of-the-above energy approach that includes coal, oil and gas.
Granholm asked Burgum to have their offices work together to plan a visit to North Dakota and strategize on ways to collaborate to advance research and development of CCUS technology as well as hydrogen power technology.
“We appreciate the opportunity to share with Secretary Granholm the exciting opportunities to develop and deploy CCUS technology in North Dakota to help ensure the long-term viability of our coal and oil and gas industries, as well as the importance of an all-of-the-above energy approach,” Burgum said.
Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford also shared information on exciting projects and synergies taking place in North Dakota, such as ADM’s announcement earlier this week of a planned $350 million soybean crushing plant at Spiritwood, N.D., that will supply soybean oil to Marathon Petroleum Corp.’s renewable diesel refinery in Dickinson.
Burgum shared with Granholm that North Dakota is blessed with geology that contains underground storage capacity for an estimated 250 billion tons of carbon dioxide – nearly 50 times the United States’ annual energy-related carbon dioxide output.