Request would boost DAPL to at least 470K barrels daily

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – A sixth pipeline company has applied for a permit to become a part of the growing Dakota Access pipeline project.

If approved, it would add 30,000 barrels of oil to the four-state pipeline, meaning it’d be the largest in the Bakken oil formation with 470,000 to 570,000 barrels daily.

The Epping Transmission Company is proposing a $6.5 million project to connect its Epping Station and Divide Mainline Pipeline to the Dakota Access Epping Facility, the Williston Herald reported. A public hearing is set for Nov. 22.

Some companies have already begun construction projects to connect to the Dakota Access pipeline, which is being built by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners and is the target of legal action by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The tribe argues the pipeline threatens water supplies and would damage sacred sites. Other companies are awaiting approval on their permits.

The project would be located in a migratory area for the whooping crane, but the proposal says no construction would take place during the nesting season. If the plan changes, Epping Transmission would work with government agencies on mitigation steps.

The project also would also be within 500 feet of a housing development. Epping Transmission says it has acquired 71 percent of the necessary right of way from landowners and is working to finalize remaining agreements.

Epping Transmission would like to begin construction on their proposal this year and have it completed two months later.

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Information from: Williston Herald, http://www.willistonherald.com