Peace Garden News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, announced the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $38,148,520 to the University of North Dakota’s (UND) Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC). This funding will advance the implementation of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies at Rainbow Energy’s Coal Creek Station.

Additionally, UND plans to complete site characterization and permitting efforts for a CO2 storage hub in central North Dakota, with CO2 to be sourced from electric generation and ethanol production and about 200 million metric tons of total CO2 storage capacity.

“North Dakota has been implementing carbon capture, utilization, and storage for decades and we are leading the way in new, innovative projects,” said Senator Cramer. “This is another substantive victory from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, delivering a win-win for the people who work at Rainbow Energy and the reliable, clean energy they produce.”

Background:

Last year, Senator Cramer wrote a letter of support to the EERC’s Vice President for Strategic Partnerships, John Harju and helped secure funding for the research center. He also invited Mr. Harju to be a witness in an EPW hearing to highlight EERC’s work on its ongoing innovative research in energy production.

Earlier this Congress, the Senator joined Axios for a fireside chat on energy and environment issues, which included a discussion on the outlook for permitting reforms. He then signed onto the Revitalizing the Economy by Simplifying Timelines and Assuring Regulatory Transparency (RESTART) Act to reform the nation’s broken permitting and environmental review processes.

Most recently, he delivered remarks to emphasize the importance of maintaining states’ authorities over transmission systems, a priority he reiterated at an EPW hearing in April.

Original source can be found here.