Pipeline Easement Bill | Video

Jennifer Joas | 1/31/2013

Whether it`s oil field traffic or natural gas flaring, it`s evident the oil industry has transformed western North Dakota. But there may be a solution to decrease those impacts.

Daryl Dukart is a man, like many other western North Dakotans, who wants to see fewer oil trucks on the road. He understands that for that to happen, pipelines need to be installed. That`s why he already has five pipelines running across his property, with another three on the way. He came to talk to lawmakers because he believes corridors are the way to go when installing pipelines.

"Oil Company A doesn`t want to necessarily work with Oil Company B. So you have the two companies fighting against each other and then you`re forced into multi-easement type things," he said.

The House Energy and Natural Resources Committee is looking at a bill to mediate pipeline disputes, because some landowners have been hesitant to sign easements.

"If we don`t get pipelines in the ground, we`re going to have trucks and dust, and unsafe roads and road impacts. And we`re going to continue to have to pour hundreds of millions of dollars back into those communities," said ND Petroleum Council President Ron Ness.

The bill would also set aside a portion of the oil production tax for pipeline reclamation, which Dukart believes is important for future generations. "We just question in the future. What funds is it going to take to reclaim these, to remove them, to put the land back to a state that is useable the way it should be?"

Installing more pipelines will also help decrease the number of wells flaring in the state.

The bill would also require companies to submit information to the state to track where all the pipelines are located.

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