Page 12 ■ Thursday, February 9, 2012


BISMARCK TRIBUNE EDITORIAL LETTER TO THE EDITOR Pipeline is in


national interest — and North Dakota’s


By SEN. JOHN HOEVEN Washington


Senate to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project under Congress’ au- thority enumerated in the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Forty-four of my colleagues from


across the nation joined in that effort as co-sponsors of the bill. To support our legislation, we se-


I introduced legislation in the U.S.


are compelled to act again, introduc- ing new legislation that will move the project forward with congressional ap- proval. Further, our new bill, like the bill we passed in December, includes all federal and state safeguards and sets no time limit on Nebraska’s ability to further review the pipeline’s route through that state, the only portion of the route that was in contention. In fact, it empowers the state of Nebraska itself to determine an alternative route approved by its state legislature and governor working in cooperation with state and federal authorities. The fact of the matter is that if the


cured an opinion from the non-par- tisan Congressional Research Service, which confi rmed Congress’s constitu- tional authority to approve the project. The Hoeven-Lugar-Vitter bill au-


thorizes TransCanada to construct and operate the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to the U.S., transport- ing an additional 830,000 barrels of oil per day to U.S. refi neries, including 100,000 barrels a day from the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana. That’s key, because providing pipe- line capacity and gathering systems for that much North Dakota crude will take as many as 500 trucks a day off roads in the oil patch, which is a win- win for producers, revenues and most importantly, public safety on our West- ern highways. The Keystone XL project is good for


high-tech transcontinental pipeline is a big-time private-sector job creator. It’s a shovel-ready project that would reduce our dependence on Middle East oil, help hold down the cost of fuel at the pump for consumers, and create thousands of jobs for American workers at a time when our nation badly needs them. The Keystone XL pipeline project has been under review since September 2008 — more than three years — and the State Department’s environmental review was completed in August 2011. Yet, despite a long and thorough en- vironmental review, President Barack Obama last month rejected the project. He stated the 60-day provision Con- gress included in the payroll tax cut ex- tension bill passed in December, legisla- tion which I helped sponsor, didn’t give him enough time to review the project. Let’s be clear: He and his adminis-


tration have been reviewing the project for over three years. That’s why my colleagues and I


This new $7 billion, 1,700-mile


Expansion of natural gas business good for N.D.


Another 75 million cubic feet a day


of natural gas will be captured and pro- cessed when a newly announced project opens at Ross in 2013. It means less fl ar- ing, less wasted natural gas, fewer emis- sions. It’s a constructive strategy impor- tant to North Dakota’s oil industry and the state. North Dakota oil fi elds fl ared 34 per-


Keystone XL pipeline isn’t built, Cana- dian oil will still be produced 700,000 barrels a day of it but instead of com- ing down to our refi neries in the Unit- ed States, instead of creating jobs for American workers, instead of reducing our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, that oil will be shipped by tanker to China.


That reality was underscored recent- ly when it was reported that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to visit with Chinese offi cials in Beijing this month to explore new economic relations, including energy. Finally, contrary to the claims of


North Dakota, but it is also vital for the nation.


some critics, who now assert that this oil will be re-exported from the United States, the Keystone XL will deliver Ca- nadian crude oil to American refi neries where it will be refi ned into fuel. And our nation needs both crude oil and refi ned product. The reality is that if America doesn’t build the Keystone project the Canadian oil will still be produced and shipped, but instead of being refi ned in the United States by American workers and benefi ting American consumers, it will be shipped by tanker across the Pa- cifi c to China. I have worked toward approval of


cent of the natural gas produced by wells in November, the latest month for which there are fi gures. The national average runs between 6 and 7 percent. The Ross plant will help bring down


the state’s high rate of fl aring. Plains All American Pipeline of Hous-


ton will develop the Ross plant, which will be operated by Plains Gas Solutions. In January, the Garden Creek plant


near Watford City went on line. It’s capa- ble of processing 100 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. It will be joined this later year by two additional 100-mil- lion-cubic-foot plants in 2012, also de- veloped by Tulsa-based ONEOK. All together, these additions to natu-


ral gas processing amount to nearly 375 million cubic feet of natural gas a day. When they are all in place, the state’s fl aring of natural gas should decline to a more acceptable number, much closer to the national average. The state Pipeline Authority has


commissioned a study of oil and natu- ral gas production trends in the Bakken and Three Forks formations of western North Dakota. Presently, the state has fi ve major


natural gas transmission lines. But more may be needed if drilling continues to


the Keystone XL, fi rst as governor of North Dakota, and now as a U.S. sena- tor, because I believe it is just the kind of project that will grow our economy and create jobs in the right way through private-sector investment. Also, it is vi- tally important infrastructure that our state needs. As a U.S. senator, I continue to press for its approval because it will also strengthen our nation, both in terms of energy and national security. I will continue to work with my col- leagues in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives to make sure this important project is completed for the American people. (John Hoeven, a Republican, repre- sents North Dakota in the U.S. Senate.)


Increasing natural gas infrastructure important for future


increase and additional volumes of natu- ral gas must be captured and moved to market (the alternative being fl aring). Already,


natural gas production has


moved from 150 million cubic feet per day in the early 2000s to 521 million feet per day in 2012. Natural gas burns relatively clean, and


nationally, there appears to be a move to use more natural gas to generate electric- ity. If that’s the case, the demand side of the supply-demand equation may pro- vide additional markets for North Dako- ta natural gas, if we can get it to market. The results of the proposed study


should provide industry with the moti- vation to invest additional money in the state’s natural gas infrastructure — pro- cessing plants, collector pipelines and transmission pipelines. Making economic use of natural gas


from western North Dakota will be an important part of the state’s economic future. These investments now make that possible.


DOT delays road load restrictions


The load restrictions set to go into effect on Feb. 8 have been delayed until at least mid-week during the week of Feb. 13, due to cooler-than-predicted tem- peratures. The North Dakota Department of Transportation will continue to closely


monitor roadbeds and temperature forecasts and notify the public when re- strictions will be put into place. Traditionally, seasonal load restrictions are fi rst implemented in the south-


western portion of the state and continue north and east as the spring season progresses. Restrictions are lifted when roadbeds have stabilized enough to carry normal


traffi c. Seasonal load restriction information is available by dialing 511 or by go-


ing to www.dot.nd.gov/roadreport/loadlimit/loadlimitinfo.asp, where you can subscribe to load restriction email updates. Load restriction information also can be found on the NDDOT Travel Infor- mation Map at www.dot.nd.gov/travel-info.


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