BISMARCK - The North Dakota Industrial Commission (Commission), consisting of Gov. Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, issued the following joint statement today commemorating the first underground injection of carbon dioxide by Red Trail Energy.
“As the first site in the United States to begin injection under state primacy, this project will set the standard for all future carbon capture and storage projects in the nation. We commend Red Trail Energy for pioneering this project, which will open new markets for North Dakota commodities and ensure that carbon dioxide will remain permanently sequestered.”
The Commission approved Red Trail Energy’s Class VI injection well permit on Oct. 19, 2021, less than five months after receiving their final application. The Red Trail Energy permit was the first Class VI permit approved by the Commission. A Class VI injection well is a class of well categorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for injection of carbon dioxide into deep rock formations for permanent storage. North Dakota was the first state to achieve primacy over Class VI wells from the EPA in 2018.
“North Dakota regulators and policymakers have long seen the importance of creating a regulatory framework that complies with the federal rules while managing the pore space resource for the benefit of North Dakota property owners. Receiving primacy from the EPA paved the way for projects like this one to become operational in the state. This is a large step toward making North Dakota a leader in carbon neutrality and a showcase for the rest of the world on how to treat carbon,” said Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms.
Red Trail Energy began injection on June 16. The project is expected to sequester a total of 9 million tons of carbon dioxide in the Broom Creek Formation, which is over 6,276 feet deep in the project area. Continuous monitoring will occur with fiber optic cables installed in both the injection well and an adjacent monitoring well. North Dakota’s total underground storage capacity for carbon dioxide is estimated to exceed 252 billion tons according to the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC).
For more information on North Dakota’s Class VI well program visit
https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/GeoStorageofCO2.asp
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For further information contact the Department of Mineral Resources at 701-328-8020
Karlene Fine, Executive Director & Secretary
State Capitol, 14th Floor - 600 E Boulevard Ave Dept 405 - Bismarck, ND 58505-0840
E-Mail: kfine@nd.gov
PHONE: 701-328-3722 FAX: 701-328-2820
www.nd.gov
Attachment: Industrial Commission Statement on First Carbon Dioxide Injection under State Primacy