Stimulus bill clears committee

CASPER — The Joint Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee on Monday advanced a stimulus bill that could boost Wyoming’s enhanced oil recovery (EOR), a production method in which carbon dioxide is injected underground to help pressure up latent oil reserves in older fields.

The legislation would pay carbon dioxide suppliers an extra $10 per tonne for CO2 for use in EOR, building on a federal tax policy known as 45Q, which pays producers $65 per tonne of carbon that’s captured and supplied for enhanced oil projects.

By sweetening the pot, lawmakers wager the bill will increase outpu...