A concurrent resolution recognizing the benefits of enhanced oil recovery and encouraging the State of North Dakota and federal government to maintain favorable policies that support the development of carbon capture technology and utilization of carbon dioxide as a commodity for advancing energy security.
House Concurrent Resolution 3016 is a policy resolution expressing support for enhanced oil recovery in North Dakota and for carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies. It recognizes the Bakken Formation as a major energy asset and states that broader use of enhanced oil recovery could increase oil production for decades, strengthen energy security, and support state revenues and jobs. The resolution also highlights the role of North Dakota’s coal industry and the use of captured carbon dioxide as a commodity in energy production.
The resolution urges the State of North Dakota and the federal government to maintain or adopt favorable policies that encourage carbon capture technology and the use of carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery. It specifically calls on federal policymakers to develop incentives for carbon dioxide utilization, and to partner more closely with North Dakota and its energy industries to advance these technologies. The Secretary of State is directed to send copies of the resolution to the President, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and North Dakota’s congressional delegation.
Because HCR 3016 is a concurrent resolution, it does not change state law or create new regulatory requirements. Its practical effect is advisory and political: it formally communicates the Legislature’s support for enhanced oil recovery and carbon capture-related policy, and it seeks to influence state and federal energy policy. The resolution is aimed at energy producers, carbon capture developers, and policymakers involved in oil, coal, and carbon dioxide utilization.
The available text and context indicate broadly favorable sentiment toward the resolution. The measure is framed as pro-energy-development, pro-jobs, and pro-energy-security, with emphasis on the economic importance of oil and coal in North Dakota. No committee debate or recorded votes were provided, so there is no evidence in the record of organized opposition or amendment activity in the materials supplied.
The main points of contention, based on the resolution’s subject matter, would likely center on support for fossil fuel production and the use of carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery versus concerns about climate policy, emissions, and federal energy regulation. The resolution itself takes a strong position in favor of oil and coal industry development and asks for federal incentives and partnership, which may be viewed as controversial by critics of fossil fuel expansion. However, no specific objections, dissenting votes, or committee testimony were included in the provided record.