Western Railroad Discussion > North Dakota pipeline stalls out

Pipeline operator energy transfer partners has acknowledged that it has obtained easements from just 56% of South Dakota land owners along the proposed 1100 mile crude oil pipeline from western North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. The pipe would bring Bakken etc oil to a connection with existing pipelines connecting with the US Gulf Coast.  The market is currently served by BNSF and UP unit trains hauling crude to the Gulf, and to barge transload points.

ETP had hoped to begin construction in 2015, that seems unlikely. The company may be forced to unleash eminent domain if it is unable to gain voluntary agreements. The company notes that the pipeline would reduce truck traffic, reduce unit oil trains, and reduce flaring of natural gas.  But, eminent domain has its own issues as the political process and the court process would both be activated during an election year. Hardly a desired goal in an area where the Keystone XL remains a contentious topic.

Pipeline

Patoka, IL is a really big terminal. I have passed it many times on US 51 in central Illinois. That part of the state is laced by pipelines, so people are used to them. That said, with the heightened sensitivity about such things today it might be rough sailing to get eminent domain in the current political environment. Power line easements are getting tough too. Witness the challenges that the Grain Belt Express line project is having across north central Missouri. As a conduit for wind energy, the favored child of so many, one would perhaps not anticipate such difficulty. Even aside from those just exploiting the situation for more personal gain from the easement, it has been quite challenging politically.

So many infrastructure projects are getting to be so hard to do. It was never easy, but now....

MC
Columbia, Missouri

I don't think they have those problems in China.  Need some property?  Just tell the land owner he has 2 weeks to find another place to live, or farm, or operate his business.  Need to build a high speed rail system (or straighten out some curves like Amtrak would like to do on the NEC,) no problem.  Just tell the people that the demolition equipment arrives next Friday.  Well, sure glad we don't have that system here but the NIMBYs sure make it hard to get just about anything done these days.  "I want that highway but just don't put it near enough for me to hear it on a quiet night but I want it convenient to me."

John