Charles Gorecki, CEO, Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC)
“You Don’t Have To Choose” interview and summary by Genneca Houser, The Crude Life Content Correspondent
Charles Gorecki, CEO of the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC), took some time to talk with The Crude Life about his presentation regarding the direction the Bakken will be going and big statements that may seem insurmountable to back up. One of the big statements made at the WBPC was made by Governor Doug Burgum, stating the expectation of North Dakota being carbon neutral by the year 2030.
According to Charles Gorecki, “It’s possible. It’s a big challenge, though.”
If it truly is possible, this would be because of nearly two decades worth of work and current projects, like Project Tundra, that push to make Co2 work in a positive and practical way.
“We actually could have a carbon neutral barrel of oil depending upon how you draw the box.”
With carbon playing an important role in current energy advancements, what would the possible climate tax mean? Charles discusses an apprehension for any tax on carbon for the reason that the flow of money may not be reinvested back into helpful programs. He also noted that, while we may not know what may happen with a potential tax, there are already incentives for companies to forge a more carbon friendly approach to their process.
But should another tax be implemented, Charles’ fear is that the consumer will pay for it.
“Again, there may be a carbon tax in the future. I worry about what that will be to the end use or the people of North Dakota and the United States as far as how much more they might pay for energy…That’s the unintended effect of a tax generally, is all those costs are passed on to the consumer.”
That being said, the outlook for the carbon sequestration programs looks optimistic so long as the train stays on track. Charles doesn’t believe it should have too much impact so long as the programs to bring everything carbon neutral work as they should.
“I think the way to get around for North Dakota, to succeed in a climate with a carbon tax, is to use those technologies to not emit the carbon dioxide. If we’re already on that path, that is the way to continue to produce that reliable power.”
Another big focus in energy at the moment is the cybersecurity infrastructure. Has the recent Colonial Pipeline attack drawn attention to new problems? Not really. According to Charles Gorecki, this is an area of focus for many partners every day. Even the EERC faces daily attempted cyber “break-ins” but there has been a continuous effort to fortify cybersecurity for some time. So it’s not a new issue, but it is an on-going battle. Just don’t be surprised if we see more flaws in the infrastructure exposed, because the attacks will most likely keep coming.
“Even at the EERC, of course, or any company out there, experiences these cyber attacks every single day. So certainly something we need to continue to be vigilant about and I wouldn’t be surprised if we continue to see foreign attacks on our infrastructure that jeopardize the reliability of our power and providing that affordable reliable power to our people.”
The volatility of the US energy industry has many people wondering what direction we’ll be heading from here. Only time will tell, but Charles had a final and powerful statement to leave with stating,
“We don’t have to choose anymore. We can have Clean and Reliable; we don’t have to choose between one or the other. Solutions, like Tundra, are exactly that; we can capture the carbon dioxide and provide 24/7 reliable power. So we don’t have to choose.”
Click here for the EERC’s website
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