Interagency Report on Pipelines
A team comprised of technical staff from 11 state agencies – the Interagency Pipeline Coordination Team (IPCT) – was formed in 2014 to coordinate state resources and expertise on issues related to the increase in oil transported by way of pipelines across Minnesota. The IPCT assembled the Draft Interagency Report on Oil Pipelines (Draft Report) to serve as an information resource for the general public and policy makers. The Draft Report addressed four key areas: the economics of oil transportation; environmental and human health impacts; spill prevention, preparedness, emergency response and safety and pipeline approvals.
The Draft Report was available for public review from March 5, 2015 to May 31, 2015. The purpose for providing this information to the public was to gather input from a wide spectrum of stakeholder interests with a range of views about crude oil pipelines in Minnesota.
While much more information exists about crude oil pipelines, and other modes of oil transport, the IPCT agreed that the material provided gives the intended audience a sufficient, high-level overview of relevant information. In response to the comments received, some changes of note included in the Final Report are as follows:
- The Executive Summary includes an issue statement at the beginning of each section that indicates information in each chapter of the Report.
- A more comprehensive background description that includes:
- A historical background of federal and state regulatory authority for oil transportation.
- The strategic position of Minnesota in national and international petroleum transportation.
- The economic, technical, and environmental differences between modes of oil transport.
- A summary of public comments received during the comment period that are related to the topics in each chapter and suggestions for more study needed.
Other changes are primarily clarifications to better communicate the intended topic and correction of any typographical errors.
Staff Contact
Contact for questions about the Interagency Pipeline Report on Oil Pipelines:
Courtney Ahlers-Nelson
520 Lafayette Road North
Saint Paul, MN 55155
651-757-2183
Pipelines.EQB@state.mn.us