As a member of Congress for 30 years, I tried to work with members of both parties regarding issues affecting America's natural resources. The longer I served, the harder it seemed to find members willing to cross the aisle and work in a bipartisan fashion. That is why I am excited to find a critical project to reduce carbon dioxide emissions with broad support from Democrats and Republicans.
Carbon capture technology is what will make this vision possible. The technology removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or prevents its release from power plants and industrial developments. The captured CO2 either stays securely underground in geological formations or is used in various industrial applications.
Over the last several weeks, Washington, D.C., has aggressively moved carbon capture technology forward.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Energy selected Project Tundra — a major project to build the world's most significant carbon capture and sequestration facility at a North Dakota coal plant — to receive up to $350 million in funding. This funding will help turn Project Tundra from a vision into reality.
In this era of political gridlock, both sides of the aisle have pushed the Energy Department to move Project Tundra forward because it focuses on what Democrats and Republicans agree on rather than where they differ.
The project will provide Republicans with the energy development they have promised their base for years while allowing Democrats to deliver on their promises for increasing environmental protection. It will support a robust energy economy and write a global playbook on driving down emissions without sacrificing electric grid reliability.
Because both sides of the aisle stand to benefit from Project Tundra's success, it has found real momentum. Republicans have provided invaluable support at the state and federal levels to position the project for success. At the same time, Democrats led the way in passing the historic bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act to help get the project over the finish line.
Construction of Project Tundra will take four years, and once operational, it will capture and safely store up to four million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually — the equivalent of removing 800,000 gasoline-fueled vehicles off the road annually. The CO2 captured will stay in deep geologic formations approximately one mile underground, where more than 200 million metric tons of permitted CO2 storage capacity exists. It is a common sense, bipartisan solution to a complex problem; we all should be grateful for that.
As we strive to achieve sustainability goals and limit the rise in global temperatures, investing in and implementing effective carbon capture solutions will become imperative for a more sustainable and resilient future. The United States leading this sector is essential for economic competitiveness and global environmental security.
Carbon capture is not simply a blue or red initiative. It is a solution that harnesses American ingenuity when we need it most. This bold, ambitious, and forward-looking technology deserves our support. Democrats and Republicans continuing to advance it will capture carbon emissions, compromise, and common sense.
Congressman Collin C. Peterson, a former chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, represented Minnesota’s Seventh District from 1991 to 2021 and now serves as a senior advisor for the American Carbon Alliance. He has a strong reputation for his steadfast commitment to bringing everyone to the table while offering positive and practical solutions to difficult problems.
