In early April, the Aberdeen American reported in Marshall pipeline leak almost twice size of early estimates:
The amount of crude oil that leaked from a pipeline in Marshall County is nearly twice as much as originally believed. ...
That new number would make the spill in Marshall County the seventh largest onshore oil or petroleum product spills since 2010, as reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation. . . .
The final report on the Keystone leak is expected to be released in the next few weeks by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
On Sunday, May 13, the editorial board wrote in Our Voice: As facts finally spill out, size of Keystone oil leak should sound alarms:
. . .That leak in the Keystone Pipeline spilled 5,000 barrels of crude oil — about 210,000 gallons, according to TransCanada, the pipeline’s owner. That made the spill one of the 20 largest onshore oil or petroleum product spills since 2010.
A spill that size gets attention.
A spill double that size should get our outrage — and greater scrutiny of the company in which we have put so much trust.
In fact, the Keystone oil spill in Marshall was nearly twice the size of those early-hour estimates from TransCanada.. . .
If South Dakotans didn’t think the pipeline leak was serious in November, the April number should have been a massive wake-up call. . ..
During the course of reporting, we learned that state officials did not necessarily have the expertise needed to fully understand massive oil pipelines or spills. We heard surprise, and we heard concern.
Now we need to hear how South Dakotans will be protected: our land, our money and our lives.
A “pipeline moratorium” bill was considered — and killed — during the 2018 legislative session. . . .
Read the rest at the Aberdeen American. The editorial is directed to South Dakotans, but Minnesotans should also take notice.
On Monday, the Minnesota House will vote on HF3759 (Fabian), a bill which will grant Enbridge the right to immediately construct Line 3, completely eliminating the current Public Utilities Commission permit process, according to Watch Your Reps MN' latest action alert.
The Friends of the Mississippi River noted back in March in Respect public input — No fast-tracking Enbridge Line 3:
UPDATE: As reported by the Star Tribune, Gov. Mark Dayton said he would veto any legislation that cuts the Public Utilities Commission out of the process!
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In one of the more controversial moves of the legislative session, a key House committee is considering a bill granting immediate approval of the Enbridge Energy Line 3 project.
The bill, HF 3759 (Fabian – R), would terminate the Public Utilities Commission’s ongoing review and permit process for the proposed pipeline, and immediately grant the Canadian multinational energy transportation company full authority to build the pipeline on the company’s chosen route without further regulatory approvals from the state.
While FMR does not work on pipeline projects directly, we are concerned about a bill that would short-circuit an ongoing public review process that has included tens of thousands of public comments and hundreds of hours of expert testimony from both Enbridge Energy and intervening parties.
Dismissing an established regulatory review process and replacing it with a politically-motivated legislative overwrite ignores the concerns of communities, landowners, industries, and First Nations along the proposed route. It would likewise ignore the state’s own Commerce Department, which concluded that the project isn’t needed and won’t benefit Minnesota.
While serious questions remain about the need for the pipeline, its environmental and social justice implications and Enbridge Energy’s questionable plans to leave the old corroding pipe in the ground, those issues are beyond FMR’s area of expertise.
However, we remain deeply concerned that the proposed legislative intervention in an established public review and permitting process disrespects the views of all Minnesotans while granting special privileges to a single foreign-owned corporation unaccountable to the people of Minnesota. . . .
Photo: The Keystone I spill near Amherst, South Dakota. With Minnesota use common sense and keep the PUC review with its own pipeline issues?
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