Hoeven Pushes Investment in Natural Gas | Video

Michelle San Miguel | 11/9/2011

Sen. John Hoeven wants to cut back on the amount of natural gas that`s burned and goes unused in the state`s oil fields. Every day about 100 million cubic feet of natural gas is burned.

Yesterday, Senator Hoeven spoke before a Senate committee about finding ways to invest in technologies and infrastructure to capture and transport natural gas from the state`s oil and and gas wells.

The North Dakota Petroleum Council says natural gas can sell for between $4 to $7 per cubic feet. The council says selling natural gas may not be as profitable as oil but there`s still value in it.

"I think it`s very economic to capture the gas out of the Bakken. The Bakken gas has a lot of butanes and propanes in it so there`s a market for it," said North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness.

About 200 million cubic feet of natural gas is captured daily in the state`s oil fields.

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