{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=949CA1AD-1286-4968-AF5E-816638F8B9E0", "Heitkamp Announces $10 Million in Federal Funding for UND Energy Research", "2016-11-30", "2016", "2016-11", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u00a0U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced $10 million in U.S. Department of Energy funding for the University of North Dakota.\r\nThe federal funding includes two grants for the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center: one $1.2 million grant to study the feasibility of CO2 capture of emissions from Nebraska Public Power District\u2019s Gerald Gentleman Station, and another grant of $8.8 million for UND researchers to determine the feasibility of developing a commercial-scale CO2 geologic storage complex in central North Dakota.\u00a0\r\n\u201cBuilding a path forward for coal, as I\u2019ve long been pushing for, requires investments into research and development of new technologies \u2013 and this federal funding for the University of North Dakota will help,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cUND researchers at the Energy & Environmental Research Center and across the university have made North Dakota a trailblazer in developing the skills and tools we need to keep coal a part of our energy mix. This federal funding will help further their research, and make sure we\u2019re investing in the students, researchers, and faculty at our state\u2019s research universities. Combined with these investments, Congress also needs to pass bipartisan legislation I introduced to incentivize a viable future for coal so we can support this industry and its workers in the long-term.\u201d\r\nHeitkamp has long supported energy innovation in North Dakota to provide a strong path forward for coal \u2013 which North Dakotans rely on for\u00a0almost 80 percent of their electricity\u00a0\u2013 while working toward\u00a0commonsense incentives to encourage new carbon technologies that can transform carbon emissions into useable products.\r\nAfter working together with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) to boost recognition that the U.S. and\u00a0world need to maintain a diverse energy mix\u00a0that includes traditional energy sources while still reducing national and global carbon emissions, Heitkamp and Whitehouse\u00a0introduced\u00a0their bipartisan bill in July to forge a middle ground on energy issues. Already,\u00a0their bill\u00a0\u2013\u00a0which would incentivize the development and use of carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies \u2013 has gained vast bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate, including support from Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.\r\nEarlier this month, Heitkamp visited Great River Energy\u2019s (GRE) Spiritwood Station to see firsthand how the high-efficiency coal-fired power plant generates electricity and steam to power homes and businesses in North Dakota. Heitkamp played a key role in getting Spiritwood Station and the Dakota Spirit AgEnergy plant online. In 2014, Spiritwood Station became the first coal-fired generating plant to go online in North Dakota in more than 30 years.\r\nBackground:\r\nHeitkamp\u2019s work to find a realistic path forward for coal builds on her more than a decade of experience on the board of directors of Dakota Gasification, the one-of-a-kind synfuels plant in Beulah, N.D. During her service as North Dakota\u2019s Tax Commissioner, on the North Dakota Industrial Commission, and as the state\u2019s Attorney General, Heitkamp was able to work on viable solutions to make sure coal remains a strong part of the North Dakota\u2019s energy mix.\r\nSince joining the Senate, Heitkamp has been committed to finding a realistic avenue for clean coal by:\r\n \r\nSecuring a commitment in September 2015 from Janet McCabe, assistant administrator of the EPA, for her agency to send technical staff to North Dakota to work with utilities on the challenges in meeting EPA\u2019s emissions reduction targets.\u00a0During a meeting with the North Dakota congressional delegation the next day, McCabe again agreed to Heitkamp\u2019s request that EPA technical staff visit North Dakota.\r\n \r\n \r\nIntroducing major legislation in 2013 and again in 2015 to put coal on a viable path forward.\u00a0Heitkamp\u2019s\u00a0bill\u00a0\u2013 which she introduced in 2013 and again this Congress \u2013 would incentivize companies to invest in technologies that reduce the carbon footprint of coal-fired power. This is done through federal funding programs, federal support for private investment, and recommendations to Congress that provide insight on how best to support future CCS projects in the U.S. Then in May 2015, Heitkamp and Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia introduced a\u00a0series of bills\u00a0to make sure coal remains a key part of America\u2019s energy mix, which incorporated Heitkamp\u2019s initial legislation.\r\n \r\n \r\nBringing EPA Administrator to North Dakota to talk about coal.\u00a0Heitkamp has made it clear to the Administration and EPA that she disagrees with the agency\u2019s policies regarding coal-fired power. After pressing EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Heitkamp\u00a0brought McCarthy\u00a0to North Dakota in February of 2014 so she could hear about the impacts of EPA regulations directly from North Dakotans.\u00a0Heitkamp has also\u00a0brought U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz\u00a0to North Dakota in August 2014 to push the U.S. Department of Energy for more investment in clean coal technology.\r\n \r\n \r\nWorking closely with U.S. Energy Department (DOE) officials on finding a path forward for coal.\u00a0Heitkamp has met with numerous top officials from DOE about the need to find a path forward for coal, including\u00a0Energy Secretary Moniz\u00a0and\u00a0Julio Friedmann, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Clean Coal at the DOE. They both participated in clean coal symposiums at Heitkamp\u2019s request, and she will continue to press both of them on the issue.\r\n \r\n \r\nConvening industry, lawmakers, and academics to discuss a viable path forward for coal.\u00a0Heitkamp co-hosted a\u00a0Coal Technology Symposium\u00a0on Capitol Hill in 2014 that brought together industry, lawmakers, experts and academics \u2013 including the Energy and Environmental Research Center from Grand Forks \u2013 to discuss the importance of finding a viable path forward for coal. To a crowded room, Heitkamp laid out why it is so important for our nation to put in place realistic energy policies and discussed the vital role coal plays in providing affordable energy in North Dakota and around the country.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=949CA1AD-1286-4968-AF5E-816638F8B9E0"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7676271963864565, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}