Gov. Dayton Expresses Support for Oil Pipelines

Minnesota's governor says more oil pipelines will help alleviate a shortage of rail cars that have clogged up shipments of coal and crops throughout the Upper Midwest.

Dayton joined railroad, business, and political leaders in a summit on the problem yesterday in Saint Paul.  Afterward, the Gopher State governor said there was no single answer -- but pipelines would be one of the solutions.  Enbridge Energy has been held up in its effort to build the new Sandpiper line from the North Dakota oil fields to Superior in northwest Wisconsin.  Minnesota's Public Utilities Commission recently expressed environmental concerns about the line's route.  It held up the project for a year by ordering reviews of six alternative routes.

Governor Dayton defended the delay.  He said the pipelines will be there for up to 100 years, and it's vital that they be done right.