Replacement Oil Pipeline Proposed for Northern Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Enbridge Energy is asking Minnesota regulators for approval to build a replacement pipeline across northern Minnesota.

The proposed 337-mile pipeline would cost more than $2 billion and would replace the 1960s-era Line 3 pipeline. The existing line carries crude oil from Canada to the Midwest but has a history of ruptures.

The company, based in Calgary, Alberta, filed its application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Friday. The Minnesota segment is part of a $7.5 billion project by Enbridge to build a new 36-inch diameter line from Hardisty, Alberta, to Superior, Wisconsin, where Enbridge has a terminal and connections to pipelines serving the Midwest, Gulf Coast and eastern Canada.

The Star Tribune reports the company wants to begin construction next year, and finish in 2017.