Minnesota Approves Certificate Of Need For The Enbridge Sandpiper; Just The Beginning Of A Lengthy Process -- June 5, 2015

KARE11 is reporting:

In a 5-0 vote, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved plans for the Sandpiper pipeline project Friday.

The proposed project was said to increase the amount of oil flowing across Minnesota by 225,000 barrels a day, from North Dakota to Superior, WI.

The final route of the 612-mile pipeline has not been approved and will likely not be finalized until 2016.

The lead group opposing the Sandpiper says the group is not "anti-pipeline." Apparently just NIMBY. Or haven't gotten the "respect" they feel they deserve. I assume it's more of the latter.

StarTribune also has the story.

Minnesota regulators approved a certificate of need Friday for the proposed Sandpiper pipeline from North Dakota's Bakken oil fields to Superior, Wisconsin, but will hold separate proceedings on exactly which path it should take across northern Minnesota.

While the Public Utilities Commission agreed 5-0 that the $2.6 billion, 610-mile pipeline is necessary and in the public interest, commissioners didn't foreclose the possibility of rerouting it away from environmentally sensitive lakes, streams and wetlands.

Enbridge Energy will still have to go through a lengthy review of its proposed route and a proposed alternative for part of the route that avoids some lakes and wetlands.

It looks like this could go on for decades, but at least one hurdle is behind us.

I track various pipelines of interest here. The timeline of the Sandpiper so far:

Initial application was not approved by FERC in March, 2013; Enbridge says project remains on schedule.  Update, October 29, 2013: The Bismarck Tribune reports that the Minnesota PUC will take a year to listen to local farmers who oppose the pipeline. Update: June 25, 2014: North Dakota PSC approves the pipeline. Update: June 5, 2015: Minnesota approves certificate of need for the pipeline; lengthy review for route still envisioned.