Minnesota regulators have endorsed a controversial northern Minnesota pipeline to carry North Dakota’s crude oil, but left open the prospect of shifting its course away from northern lakes. The 5-0 vote by the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) grants pipeline developer Enbridge Energy a certificate of need to construct the $2.6 billion Sandpiper pipeline from the Bakken oil fields to Superior, Wisconsin. North Dakota earlier approved its half of the 610-mile pipeline.
In its order, the commission encouraged state officials who will oversee an in-depth environmental study of possible routes to consider additional protections for waterways, such as thicker pipes and additional shut-off valves in critical areas.
“I don’t think we can be too careful,” said commission Chairwoman Beverly Jones Heydinger. “This is a very big project. It is going through some very sensitive areas that are important to everyone in the state of Minnesota. We know that an in-depth review is necessary.”
The route Enbridge prefers would run 299 miles across the state, from the North Dakota border to a Clearbrook, Minn., oil terminal. It would continue south toward Park Rapids, parallel to existing crude oil pipelines, and then east to Superior, partly along a transmission line. The alternate would follow the same path to near Park Rapids, then head southeast, parallel to a natural gas pipeline, to North Branch, and turn northeast to Superior, Wis. It would miss the lakes region east of Park Rapids.
To address safety concerns, Enbridge has agreed to various conditions, including building roads to all shut-off valves, offering financial proof that it has money to clean up spills and training local emergency responders.