Proposed bills target CO2 pipeline and potential oil production
Kristen Jones
Farmer Staff Writer
Two bills have been entered into the Senate that have the potential to change the oil and gas industry in North Dakota. Senate Bills 2209 and 2212 would limit the rights of carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines to exercise eminent domain. This is a decision that could potentially affect the future of oil production in the State of North Dakota because of the impact it would have on the industry’s ability to implement enhanced oil recovery, or EOR, practices.
The U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) reports that there are three forms of commercially viable EOR, with the use of CO2 as the most widely used and the most effective extraction method. Through this method, CO2 is pumped into the ground where it bonds to the oil and aids in the movement of the oil to the producing well. The USDOE estimates that without the use of EOR practices, between 30-60 percent of oil reservoirs will be inaccessible for extraction.