Massive Bakken Oil Pipeline To Superior Will Be Delayed A Year

Enbridge Energy’s massive Sandpiper crude oil pipeline from North Dakota to Superior will be delayed a year following permitting delays and suggested alternative routes submitted in Minnesota.

Enbridge had hoped to have Bakken oil flowing through the 616-mile Sandpiper line by early 2016. Construction was to begin in July in North Dakota, which has granted all the permits for the $2.6 billion line.

Enbridge spokeswoman Lorraine Little said that the proposed alternative routes submitted by Minnesota don’t connect with their oil terminal in Superior.

“The project really does need to connect in Clearbrook (Minn.) and in Superior. You can think of the Superior terminal, where you have more than 40 tanks and 8.5 million barrels of storage, (as) an airline hub. Superior terminal for Enbridge is very much like Delta’s hubs are in Minneapolis or Detroit,” said Little.

John Muir Sierra Club Conservation Program Coordinator Elizabeth Ward said Enbridge’s decision to delay should stop the process in Wisconsin.

“Wisconsin (Department of Natural Resources) should look at this and delay its environmental impact statement process and permitting of Sandpiper, as well as Line 3, because it doesn’t make any sense for Wisconsin to move forward with this when even the company has talked about delaying it,” said Ward.

Meanwhile, Little said the permitting process is going smoothly in Wisconsin, where Enbridge had only planned to build a 14-mile segment to Superior. The 30-day comment period just ended.