Is North Dakota experiencing a culture of silence or a culture of ignorance?
Comparison of original map of Towner County (top) and enhanced map
The initial Enbridge maps of North Dakota were little more than county outlines; 21 pages in a PDF file that was indecipherable. There were no county roads, only minimal water features, and no sense of how the proposed routing would impact existing infrastructure. After two days on the road, and many requests through press offices, field offices and the media hotline, we received maps that were as detailed as the Minnesota maps that were available on the web. Enbridge was helpful in that regard, but GIS readings are impossible to obtain, and much detail is still unavailable on the maps.
Enbridge had filed a lawsuit and obtained an order that restricts the exact pipeline location as "Critical Energy Infrastructure Information," protected under the 2011 Patriot Act.
This begs the question as to how a non-existent pipeline can be protected as critical energy infrastructure. Enbridge states on its website that the Sandpiper will "generally follow Enbridge's existing pipelines and/or other infrastructure right-of-way. More than 75 percent of the route is on existing utility right-of-way." The mile markers for the existing Line 81 are clearly visible along Highway 2. Why not offer the GIS coordinates for the remaining 25 percent?
Lakota was the first stop on our pipeline tour. Lakota is the county seat of Nelson County, located 63 miles west of Grand Forks and 27 miles east of Devils Lake. The population of Lakota was 672 at the 2010 census. The total population of Lakota County was 3,126, all scattered over 1,009 square miles.
We stopped at the courthouse after a courtesy call and found that staff had no maps and no information on the proposed pipeline. We noticed a mile marker (147) for the existing Line 81 on the outskirts of town. The only other available information was the minutes from a Planning Commission meeting on January 30, 2014. Five commission members were present for a discussion on the route of the pipeline and a new pump station in Dodds Township. In case of a leak,the addition of a retention pond at the pump station was also discussed.
Who else was at the meeting? Seven people from Enbridge, including the point person for the project who provided our maps. No locals were present, according to the minutes. The zoning change for the proposed pump station was unanimously approved.
Does anyone go to Planning Commission meetings in rural areas? We went to the local cafe to find out.
The Seasons Cafe occupies the old Farmer's Mercantile building in Lakota. The railroad, Russians, and Germans built the town. By the time the railroad was completed in 1883, the buffalo were long gone and the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty had squeezed the First Nation from ancestral lands. It looks like the town that time forgot; all but lost in the tall prairie grasses.
Now the rail hauls Bakken crude in aging DOT 111 tanker cars roaring right through the center of town. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) says 92,000 tank cars are moving flammable liquids and approximately 78,000 of those will require retrofitting or phase-out. The 14,000 newer tank cars that comply with higher industry-imposed safety standards from 2011 also might require some upgrades.
The North Dakota Pipeline Authority estimates that 72 percent of oil produced in North Dakota was transported out of state by rail in January, while 21 percent was transported by pipeline.
There were only a few people having lunch, but they had more questions than answers for us. What pipeline? Comments centered on the increase in trains, the noise, and the number of cars hauling oil. No one had seen a map and the news of a pipeline was fodder for conversation. Had anyone heard about the series of meetings scheduled last winter by the North Dakota Public Services Commission about the Sandpiper route?
No.
Perhaps the fact that North Dakota experienced one of the worst winters on record had something to do with the lack of attendance. Meetings were scheduled in Grand Forks, Devils Lake and Minot in late February. Many residents would have to travel hundreds of miles to attend meetings. Darkness comes early on winter nights in the Great Plains. Roads are hazardous, ice covered, and farms and animals need attending. Enbridge was following the letter of the law about public hearings, but no one seemed to be getting the message.
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