Our two largest industries in North Dakota are energy and agriculture. These industries make up 70% of the state’s economy. Each face the same pressures to operate in a carbon-constrained economy. That is why these industries have made huge investments to track and manage carbon and in technology to capture, transport, and store carbon dioxide. North Dakota is leading the world.

The Legislature had the foresight to spend over 15 years setting the framework for CO2 capture and storage in ND – millions of dollars in research and development, the balancing of property rights of landowners, mineral owners, and pore space owners, and national leadership in the state taking over the EPA’s role.

The stakes for coal are high. The state’s CO2 policies could allow the coal industry to extend its life to provide baseload power to our state and region for decades to come. Coal and ethanol are working together to make this a reality, with Minnkota Power Cooperative collaborating with Summit Carbon Solutions to develop a world-class CO2 storage complex.

Without a stable and predictable regulatory environment that allows for capture and storage of CO2 from our state’s lignite plants, an industry that employs 13,000 and is responsible for $5.4 billion of annual economic impact, is at risk.

The stakes for oil are high. The state’s CO2 policies create the opportunity, through enhanced oil recovery, to double the output of the Bakken to date. Double. Enhanced oil recovery will have tremendously positive impacts on the economy of North Dakota and the state’s budget.

This is only possible if CO2 can be transported within the state via pipelines, as common carriers, from sources in central North Dakota to oil and gas reservoirs in western North Dakota. Enormous amounts of CO2 from sources outside of North Dakota will be needed for this to even be possible. We don’t have enough CO2 in ND today. Doubling the Bakken’s output through enhanced oil recovery means a Bakken renaissance that amounts to a new $40 billion industry.

The stakes are high for agriculture and ethanol. The state’s CO2 policies allow ethanol to be decarbonized to access greater low-carbon fuels markets, paying a premium to the ethanol plants and the corn growers that supply corn to the plants. North Dakota ethanol plants produce around 550 million gallons of ethanol annually, consuming 60% of ND’s corn production. In many markets there is a willingness to pay more for low carbon fuel.

And the airline industry is hungry for a product we could make here in N.D.: sustainable aviation fuel. We’ve already adopted incentives to get a head start on this market, but we can’t compete if our ethanol plants can’t capture, ship, and store the CO2 they emit. Accessing low-carbon fuels markets means a stronger long-term market for corn. And that means a stronger farm economy in North Dakota.

Our state’s most important industries – agriculture and energy – are tied to carbon capture, transport, and storage. The Legislature has set up the framework to make this industry a success. We have multiple projects, including Summit Carbon Solutions, in the queue that have been vetted well by state agencies like the Public Service Commission and the Department of Mineral Resources. Once these projects are approved, we will secure our spot as a world leader in agriculture and energy, positioning our state to thrive in a carbon-constrained economy.