Federal Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says energy development in North Dakota and the rest of the nation must be done in a balanced and reasonable way.
Salazar spoke Monday at an energy conference in Bismarck. He said North Dakota "has it all" when it comes to oil, coal, wind and other energy sources, but also has 550 wildlife refuges, more than any other state.
The interior secretary said he supports energy development on federal and but said, "we don`t need to turn over every rock to do it."
Salazar said his department plans large-scale carbon capture demonstration projects on public lands. He said the U.S. Geological Survey is launching an assessment of the geological storage capacity for carbon dioxide in oil and gas reservoirs and saline formations. He said he had visited carbon sequestration projects in North Dakota.
Oilman Harold Hamm said he believes North Dakota`s oil reserves are double the federal government`s estimates. |