Jeopardizing Economic Opportunity
by Mike Karbo, Midwest Region Director for the American Petroleum Institute
The South Dakota legislature recently proposed new laws in the Senate and House that could negatively affect energy production, energy jobs and affordable energy in the state. The bills, aimed at prohibiting CO2 pipeline infrastructure statewide, could end up killing good-paying jobs and limiting energy innovation and infrastructure.
CO2 pipelines are essential for carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology that works with existing power and ethanol plants to capture and store carbon underground before it is emitted into the atmosphere. To limit carbon emissions in energy projects nationwide, CO2 pipelines are crucial to this effort and work effectively to bolster responsible energy production in the region.
Most importantly, the proposed project currently in the permitting process could employ thousands of workers and help bring affordable, reliable energy to hundreds of thousands across South Dakota. There are more than 5,000 miles of CO2 pipelines nationwide already safely promoting CCS, with South Dakota-based projects forecasted to contribute $3.3 billion to the GDP and more than 4,000 jobs. CO2 pipelines advance lowering carbon emissions from the production and supply of the abundant energy sources on which families rely.
South Dakota lawmakers should think twice before changing the rules for CO2 pipelines in the middle of the process and jeopardizing economic opportunity and prosperity.
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About API: API represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Its nearly 600 members produce, process and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry supports millions of U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans.