The Public Service Commissioners want a pipeline company to consider an extra safety measure and provide more details about leak detection before they make a decision on a crude oil pipeline that would travel under Lake Sakakawea, which is reservoir in the North Central United States.
The pipeline would transport oil from a terminal south of Keene to a rail-loading terminal that Phillips 66 is constructing near Palermo. It would transport 140,000 barrels of oil per day, reducing truck traffic south of Lake Sakakawea in an area where a lot of oil is still being trucked.
The commission held a five-hour public hearing Friday on the proposal from Sacagawea Pipeline Co. to build a 70-mile pipeline from McKenzie County to Mountrail County. The $125 million project would travel beneath the lakebed of Lake Sakakawea for 7,000 feet, which requires boring underground for 11,000 feet–more than two miles.
Members from the Friends of Lake Sakakawea Organization have urged the company to use the latest technology to prevent leaks and have resources readily available in the event of a spill. The pipeline would be monitored 24/7 for indicators of leaks including changes in pressure, flow rates and temperature from the Phillips 66 control center in Oklahoma. The pipeline would have nine block valves, including a valve on each side of the lake, that could be operated from the control center or manually by Phillips 66 personnel, who will be based in Palermo.