South Dakota Regulators Plan Hearing On Keystone XL Pipeline
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission plans to hold a public hearing Monday on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would run through the state on its way to the Gulf Coast.
The hearing is slated for 5:30 p.m. at the state Capitol in Pierre for TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL project, a Canada-to-Texas pipeline that would carry Canadian tar sands oil and 100,000 barrels of crude daily from North Dakota and Montana.
The utilities commission approved the pipeline’s route through South Dakota in 2010. But state law requires the project to go before the commission again if construction on a project hasn’t started within four years of being permitted to make sure it still meets the requirements.
Opponents say the pipeline has potential to contaminate ground water and encourage more use of fossil fuels. Others raise concerns about property rights.
John Harter, a Colome rancher, told the Argus Leader ( ) that landowners are being forced to accept one-time payments from TransCanada to use their land.
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Harter didn’t accept the offer and was taken to court, where he eventually lost on the grounds that the pipeline is considered a public good.
“My end goal is to not have this thing permitted,” Harter said.
TransCanada said its pipeline will be one of the safest in North America and crucial to decreasing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
“Keystone XL is going to transport both Canada and U.S. Bakken oil that will displace oil coming from Venezuela and countries in the Middle East that don’t share American values,” TransCanada spokesman Mark Cooper said.
The utilities commission plans to hold additional hearings on the issue from July 27 to August 4. The earliest the commission could make a decision on the recertification of the pipeline would be in early August.
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Information from: KCCR-AM,
