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North Dakota Regulators Poised to Approve Pipeline Expansion

Associated Press

   BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA - North Dakota regulators were expected to take
   action Wednesday on a proposal to expand the capacity of the Dakota
   Access Pipeline.

   The three-member, all-Republican Public Utilities Commission signaled
   last month that it would approve a permit to expand the capacity of the
   pipeline, despite objections from opponents who said it would increase
   the probability of a disastrous oil spill.

   Texas-based Energy Transfer proposed doubling the capacity of the
   pipeline last year to meet growing demand for oil shipments from North
   Dakota, without the need for additional pipelines or rail shipments.

   The company wants to build a $40 million pump station on a 23-acre
   (9-hectare) site near Linton in south-central North Dakota. The new
   station is necessary to increase the volume of oil the pipeline can
   move.

   The company also plans additional pumping stations in South Dakota,
   Iowa and Illinois. Commissioners in a South Dakota county last year
   approved a conditional use permit needed for a station there. Permits
   in the other states are pending. Iowa regulators want Energy Transfer
   to provide expert analysis to back up the company's claim that doubling
   the line's capacity won't increase the likelihood of a spill.

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