Submitted Photo Sen. John Hoeven, center, speaks at a news conference announcing federal funding for Crack the Code 2.0 with former director of the N.D. Department of Mineral Resources Lynn Helms, left, and North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness, right.

BISMARCK – U.S. Sen.John Hoeven, R-ND, announced Friday, May 8, he has secured a $36 million in federal funding from the Department of Energy for Crack the Code 2.0, putting in place the final funding piece for phase one of the $157 million initiative.

The phase one funding, which also includes $76 million in private investment and $45.1 million in state funding, will be used to develop large-scale pilot projects to advance the technical and commercial viability of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Bakken.

Crack the Code 2.0 is further supported by a policy Hoeven worked to secure in the One Big Beautiful Bill to properly align the 45Q tax credit to incentivize the use of carbon dioxide for EOR. Doing so supports coal producers’ continued operations by providing access to a new revenue stream through selling CO2 to oil producers, while providing a strong, long-term incentive for EOR, making it the clear, commercially-viable choice to improve oil recovery in the Bakken, Hoeven said.

“By securing this $36 million in federal funding for Crack the Code 2.0, we are taking a major step forward in efforts to partner North Dakota’s oil and coal producers and provide a more solid foundation for the future of both of these essential industries,” Hoeven said. “EOR has the potential to double both the oil recovery rate in formations like the Bakken and the life of our coal-fired power plants. Doing so benefits not only North Dakota, but is essential to the economic security of all Americans, who will continue to have access to reliable and affordable energy produced right here in the U.S.”