North Dakota Legislature: Anti-carbon pipeline, MRNA vaccine bills circulating at state capitol

(Bismarck, ND) -- A couple of hot-button issues are surfacing as the legislative session continues in Bismarck.

North Dakota's legislature is working on several bills that would make it more difficult for a multi-state carbon capture program to move forward.

The latest bill this week, SB 2383, would get rid of state tax exemption for carbon dioxide pipelines if companies are already using the federal tax credit. Naturally, leaders from the energy industry opposed the proposed legislation. Their argument is that the bill would eliminate investment opportunities, undoing decades worth of previous legislation.

In the meantime, a new bill in the state Senate would ban MRNA-based vaccines in North Dakota.

MRNA is created in a lab and teaches cells in the body to make protein, triggering an immune response. Opponents of the proposed legislation, most of whom are in the medical field, say it's problematic. Those within the state government who are backing the bill have no medical background.