North Dakota’s energy future brightened by one Big Beautiful Bill, says state energy leader
Steve Hallstrom
Special to The Farmer
Alison Ritter smiles when she says her family conversations have always been full of good vibes and harmony. But that whole climate change discussion has been interesting.
“Believe it or not, I have parents who are Democrats and they did not vote for the Trump administration and I’ve been telling them for years if you vote against these policies or this administration, you’re voting me out of a job (laughs).”
Ritter, Executive Director of the Western Dakota Energy Association (WDEA), says those who did vote for Donald Trump have seen positive results for the Bakken area.
Ritter highlighted what she called “the transformative potential” of the recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)” during a special “Talk Radio Town Hall” program, hosted by Scott Hennen on AM 1090 The Flag.
Ritter emphasized the bill’s role in advancing North Dakota’s energy sector, particularly through enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and carbon capture, while also addressing the state’s ongoing legal battle with the Biden administration over federal land lease auctions.
North Dakota, a powerhouse in U.S. energy production, generates significant resources annually.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the state produced approximately 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2024, accounting for about 9 percent of U.S. total crude oil production, and 3.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, ranking it among the top 10 gas-producing states. Additionally, North Dakota’s lignite coal industry produced 27 million tons in 2024, supporting 10 percent of the state’s electricity generation. These figures underscore the state’s critical role in domestic energy production, which Ritter argues is poised for further growth under the new legislation.
Ritter praised the One Big Beautiful Bill for its comprehensive approach to bolstering domestic energy.
“We’ve always been an energy leader, but the One Big Beautiful Bill takes that to another level. It rolls back regulations and fees, rebalances energy incentives, especially for carbon capture and enhanced oil recovery, which is where North Dakota needs to go to continue benefiting from our great natural resources.”
The bill, signed into law earlier this year, reduces regulatory burdens on fossil fuel industries, eliminates subsidies for wind and solar, and enhances tax incentives for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). A key provision is the adjustment of the 45Q tax credit to $85 per ton for CO2 used in EOR, which experts says levels the playing field for oil companies to capture and utilize CO2 from stationary sources like coal-fired power plants.
The focus on EOR is particularly significant for North Dakota’s Bakken Formation, where oil production often declines rapidly after initial hydraulic fracturing.