(BILLINGS) Materials that will be used to construct the Keystone XL Pipeline are beginning to make their way into Montana.
The pipe will be brought into both Montana and South Dakota and stored along the proposed route until construction begins, according to TransCanada spokeswoman Robynn Tysver.
“We are excited to be moving this project forward,” Tysver said Thursday.
Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson said the company told her they could expect 40 to 45 trucks carrying pipe to go through the area every day.
Erickson said the pipe will be taken to one of the various pipe yards along the route, which will all have security measures in place to protect the materials.
Tysver said construction on the pipeline is expected to begin sometime in the spring or summer of 2019.
- Reported by Samantha Sullivan
(JANUARY 19, 2018) TransCanada Corp. announced Thursday it’s secured enough contracts to move forward with the Keystone XL pipeline, a big step forward for the 1,900-mile line that partially cuts through Eastern Montana.
Company officials said they landed about 500,000 barrels per day of 20-year commitments from shipping customers, which they say puts them in a position to start construction in 2019.
“Over the past 12 months, the Keystone XL project has achieved several milestones that move us significantly closer to constructing this critical energy infrastructure for North America,” said Russ Girling, TransCanada’s president and chief executive officer, in a written statement.
The XL pipeline would extend from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska, where it would connect to another existing Keystone line. In November, Nebraska regulators approved a new route through the state.
TransCanada officials have said the XL pipeline would generate tens of millions of dollars in local tax revenue.
Opponents questioned whether the company really has enough commercial support to begin construction. The environmental group Bold Nebraska noted in a press release that the 500,000 barrels per day represents only about 60 percent of the line’s 830,000 barrels per day capacity. The group added that a legal challenge by Nebraska land owners of the pipelines remains in play, and the company must clear other regulatory hurdles.
(OCTOBER 11, 2017) Keystone XL Pipeline critics gathered on the steps of the Civic Center in downtown Great Falls on Wednesday to protest and speak out against the pipeline’s construction.
Livestock owners, Fort Peck Tribal Members, and representatives from the Northern Plains Resource Council spoke about the local impacts the project could have.
The groups said the pipeline may cause environmental problems for drinking water and irrigation systems.
Protesters from around the state including Glendive and Bozeman rallied against the project.
Shannon Wilson, a retired environmental engineer, said she’s concerned about potential accidents in the pipeline and the environmental impacts.
“One lady from Fort Peck traveled here, started out at 5:30 this morning, so y’know I’m here to support them too because it’s going through their land,” Wilson said.
According to Senator Steve Daines, the project could bring in revenue for Montana’s rural communities.
He said the pipeline is a much-needed economic driver for those areas and the project will create hundreds of good-paying jobs for Montanans.
