The Sandpiper pipeline was a proposed underground

oil pipeline A pipeline is a system of pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries around the world. The Un ...

project in the United States. It would have carried light

crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring u ...

from the Bakken oil fields in Northwest

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, through

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, to

Superior, Wisconsin Superior (; ) is a city in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,751 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the western end of Lake Superior in northwestern Wisconsin, the city l ...

. Enbridge Energy Partners, and Williston Basin Pipe Line LLC, an indirect subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation had planned the project since 2013. In 2015 Enbridge estimated that the pipeline would cost about

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

2.6 billion. In 2016, Enbridge announced the cancellation of the pipeline, the withdrawal of their state application, and their request to end an

environmental impact statement An environmental impact statement (EIS), under United States environmental law, is a document required by the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An E ...

and regulatory proceedings.

History

The Sandpiper pipeline project was made public by the media in 2013, and informational hearings for landowners took place in three North Dakota towns in March 2014. The North Dakota Public Service Commission approved the pipeline in June 2014.Case #: PU-13-848
North Dakota Public Service Commission, retrieved 23 December 2015 The

Minnesota Public Utilities Commission The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) is an independent regulatory agency within the U.S. state of Minnesota responsible for the oversight and regulation of public utilities, including electric, natural gas, and telecommunications servi ...

unanimously approved the Sandpiper pipeline, but its decision was overturned in September 2015. In September 2016, Enbridge Energy Partners announced that due to "extensive and unprecedented egulatorydelays

hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...

have plagued the Sandpiper pipeline," they were withdrawing their state application and asking for an end to regulatory proceedings, including work on an environmental-impact statement. An Enbridge spokesperson said that the pipeline may be reconsidered once the oil market rebounds but it was then "outside the company’s current five-year planning horizon".

Purpose

In 2015, Enbridge stated that "The Sandpiper Pipeline serves the oil conducting needs of North Dakota residents, which constitutes a public benefit". Per Enbridge, the Sandpiper pipeline would have represented a "public use" as a "statutorily defined public utility". According to Enbridge, its route was chosen with the "greatest public benefit and the least private injury" and that "as long as the public benefit can be demonstrated, it is immaterial that private interests are also served." Per Enbridge, the pipeline was necessary "to meet demand for Bakken oil". The corporation projects economic benefits of $69 million in property tax revenue for the 3 states, and 3000 construction jobs for workers in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Description

The pipeline would have entered Minnesota just south of

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in North Dakota, third-most populous ...

, east to Clearbrook Enbridge's terminal and then south toward Park Rapids along an existing crude oil corridor. Afterwards, the pipeline would have run along a transmission line corridor to

.Greg Vandegrif
Sandpiper oil pipeline divides Minnesota
Kare11, TEGNA, 10 February 2015 The route of the pipeline would have travelled through 28 rivers, including the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, and lakes and wetlands that couldn't be reached by nearby roads when a spill occurs.

North Dakota portion

Informational hearings for landowners took place in three North Dakota towns during March 2014. The North Dakota Public Service Commission approved the pipeline on 25 June 2014. Enbridge sued a Grand Forks couple in 2014 after they refused to give the Canadian corporation an easement and right-of-way on their property. The couple quoted NDPL's abuse of eminent domain, continued reliance on fossil fuels, their effect on the environment, and the possibility for spills as arguments. In August 2015 the couple agreed to an easement and forfeited compensation, in order to file an appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court.

Minnesota portion

In November 2013, Enbridge applied at the

(MPUC). The MPUC unanimously approved the project, allowing an environmental review to be conducted at a later date. In September 2015, the

Minnesota Court of Appeals The Minnesota Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It began operating on November 1, 1983. Jurisdiction The Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over most appeals from the State court (United State ...

overruled the PUC decision as a violation of state law. In a November 2014 ''

Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the List of newspapers in the United States, seventh- ...

'' commentary a Polk County commissioner, a Clearwater County commissioner and a Red Lake County commissioner opined, that the Sandpiper pipeline was the "best choice for the state...better than trucks or rail and also offer ngeconomic benefits."Warren Strandell, Duane Hayes and John Leroh
Sandpiper pipeline is best choice for state
Star Tribune, November 23, 2014, retrieved 23 December 2015 In February 2015, the White Earth Indian Reservation, represented by Winona LaDuke stated that the pipeline would cross a portion of its land, which Enbridge disputes. La Duke has been against the pipeline because it would violate Indian sovereignty and for environmental reasons.Justin Glaw
The Pipeline Fight Pitting Native Americans Against Big Oil
The Daily Beast, 2 February 2015, retrieved 23 December 2015 The President of

North America's Building Trades Unions The Building and Construction Trades Department, commonly known as North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU), is a trade department of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) with 14 affiliated ...

came out in a December 2015 commentary criticizing the Minnesota Court of Appeals decision, accused the court was "robbing hard-working Minnesotans of jobs" which would provide workers with a path to middle class.Sean McGarve
Labor's view: Sandpiper pipeline promises a bright future
''Duluth News Tribune''. 10 December 2015, retrieved 23 December 2015

References