Representatives of Energy Transfer, the Texas-based company that built the Dakota Access oil pipeline, arrived in Linton, North Dakota earlier this week to make a case for their plan to expand the system. Energy Transfer is seeking permission to build compressor stations that would boost the pipeline’s throughput capacity from 570,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.1 million bpd.
At a field hearing convened by North Dakota’s Public Service Commission (PSC), opponents of the project spoke out, arguing that the expansion project would make oil spills more likely – and more capable of inflicting serious damage. Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe also reiterated their concerns about the potential for contamination of the local water supply.
The Energy Transfer team took a different stance, dismissing claims that expansion would double the risk of oil spills along the route of the pipeline and pledging to adhere to strict environmental and safety standards. “I assure the commission we plan to cut no corners on this work,” said Chuck Frey, the company’s vice president of engineering.
The Dakota Access pipeline is a key transportation route for production from tight oil fields in the Bakken shale formation. It runs from North Dakota to Illinois.