North Dakota regulators have approved permits for underground carbon dioxide storage for a massive pipeline proposed for the Midwest.

North Dakota was chosen for storage because of available pore space found in rocks more than a mile under the land’s surface. The prime underlying geology allows for CO2 to be stowed into a porous, sponge-like rock layer and confined by the less porous rock above.

Minnesota utility regulators on Thursday unanimously approved what would be the state’s first carbon dioxide pipeline, stretching 28 rural miles from an ethanol plant near Fergus Falls to the North Dakota border.