U.S. Secretary of Energy Pays a Visit to Grand Forks

Left to right, North Dakota U.S. Senator John Hoeven,  U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong and North Dakota U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak. (Bill Dubensky KNOX photo)

(North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven urged the state’s coal and oil industries to work together to thrive in the long term and meet the increasing demand for energy.

Hoeven on Wednesday touted an effort to have the state’s coal plants supply carbon dioxide to the oil industry to help improve the productivity of oil wells and extend the life of coal-fired power plants.

“Today is about linking our coal plants and the Bakken,” Hoeven said, referring to the Bakken shale formation that has helped make North Dakota the nation’s No. 3 oil-producing state.

Hoeven hosted U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright at the Energy and Environmental Resource Center in Grand Forks, which performs research for the coal and oil industries.