The Public Service Commission will hold a hearing in Williston on a proposal by ONEOK Bakken Pipeline to build a 75-mile-long, $100 million natural gas liquids pipeline in Williams County.
The pipeline would carry 30,000 barrels of NGLs from four natural gas processing plants in the area, connecting to existing NGL transmission lines in Montana.
"It's additional fill-in of the infrastructure needed to support natural gas processing industry, and ultimately to the reduction of flaring in the Bakken," said Commissioner Julie Fedorchak.
Commission chairman Brian Kroshus said it looks like a good project, and said there's more work to do in the Bakken to reduce flaring.
"From an economic standpoint, it's not a true money-maker for drillers and producers in the Bakken, to deal with natural gas," Kroshus said. "But they have to, as a means to an end, to continue drilling activity for crude oil."
Natural gas is a by-product of that oil drilling.
"It's an interesting set of dynamics," Kroshus said.
The hearing is scheduled March 8th.
