Update On Enbridge Clipper

Updates

October 17, 2017:  after five years of study, the US State Department finally reached a decision -- a permit was approved for a 3-mile section of pipeline.

The State Department has granted Enbridge Energy a presidential permit for the final piece of its project to boost the capacity of its Alberta Clipper oil pipeline.

Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge has been operating the pipeline, formally called Line 67, since 2010. The company upgraded its pumping stations in 2014 and 2015 to nearly double its capacity to 800,000 barrels per day.

But Enbridge needed the permit for the 3-mile segment that crosses the U.S.-Canadian border near Neche, North Dakota. After nearly five years of review, the State Department said Monday that issuing the permit serves the national interest.

Enbridge has been running Line 67 at full capacity by using a short detour into a parallel pipeline for crossing the border.

Line 67 carries Alberta crude across Minnesota to Superior, WI.

Original Post

I'm too tired / too exhausted to do much blogging tonight, so I'm going to post this "as is" with regard to an update on the Enbridge Clipper pipeline.

I don't know if folks can make sense of this but I will clean it up tomorrow. [October 17, 2017: I never did get around to cleaning this up, but the US State Department, after five years of review, approved this 3-mile section of pipeline.

There are four components:

• Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, to the international Canadian/US border -- I assume this is a non-issue
• federal permit to cross the border (like Keysteon XL issue)
• Minnesota to Wisconsin (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/judge-backs-expansion-of-enbridges-alberta-clipper-pipeline-across-minnesota/article19155248/)
• Wisconsin to Illinois (http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/state-oks-permit-for-enbridge-oil-pipeline-capacity-hike-b99290055z1-262917491.html)

The Enbridge Clipper is mentioned at this post, where I track pipelines of interest.That post has not been updated in a long, long time.

By the way, once the Clipper gets to Flanagan, it hooks up with Enbridge Flanagan South, taking oil to Cushing. And finally we have western Canadian oil getting to Cushing and then to Texas/Louisiana refineries regardless of Keystone.

I can imagine SecState John Kerry denying the Enbridge permit based on global warming issues, but he will be out of office in less than two years and by that time all the pipeline on both sides of the border will be completed. With WTI oil headed toward new highs in light of the Iraq drama, I doubt Americans will have much more tolerance for politics (or global warming concerns) preventing Canadian oil from reaching Cushing. But nothing surprises me any more.