“We have a friend of coal leading the Department of Energy,” said Lignite Energy Council President and CEO Jason Bohrer, referring to the confirmation of Rick Perry, former governor of Texas who was confirmed on March 2 by the U.S. Senate, 62-37.

Bohrer said there are many similarities between the energy producing states of Texas and North Dakota, including lignite coal mines and efforts to use this energy resource in the future by developing ways to capture carbon dioxide.

“During the fall of 2016, the Lignite Energy Council led a delegation of North Dakota lawmakers to several energy projects in the Houston, Texas, area, that are either under construction or already demonstrating the value of capturing and using carbon dioxide,” Bohrer added.

“North Dakota’s lignite industry has a proud tradition of working with the Department of Energy on research and development projects that have benefited both our state and our citizens. A few years ago, we partnered with DOE to identify cost-effective ways to capture mercury from lignite-based power plants,” Bohrer said. “Today, our state’s power plants have significantly reduced mercury emissions and are meeting or exceeding federal standards for mercury.”

He added that the nation’s attention has turned toward capturing and using carbon dioxide from lignite to enhance the productivity of oil wells, and North Dakota geography, geology and growing oil industry give the state advantages for next generation coal technologies that are not available anywhere else.

“With the assistance of the Department of Energy, it is our hope that the regional lignite industry can take advantage of carbon capture technologies to ensure the continued operation of existing power plants while also building new generation for the future,” Bohrer added.

“With early work behind us on using the revolutionary Allam Cycle to build new power plants and investments in extending the life of our existing plants through Project Tundra, we see a bright future for extended partnerships between the state of North Dakota, its energy industries and Secretary Perry’s Department of Energy,” Bohrer said.

The Lignite Energy Council is a regional trade association representing North Dakota lignite producers, electric utilities and 300 businesses providing goods and services to the mines and plants. The lignite industry generates approximately $3.5 billion in gross business volume within the state.