PipelineState Department approves U.S.-Canada pipeline, but it is not Keystone

The State Department has approved a U.S.-Canada   pipeline, but it is not the Keystone XL project which is still being debated.

The Christian Science Monitor reports that the pipeline will carry ethane from North Dakota through Saskatchewan into Empress, Alberta.

Ethane is extracted from natural gas and used in the production of detergents, plastics, rubber, and other products. The Vantage Pipeline  is 430 miles long. Most of the pipeline is in Canada, and it will cost an estimated $300 million to construct.

North Dakota has an abundance of ethane and other natural gas liquids, but the state’s liquid export capacity is limited, according to Justin Kringstad, the director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority.

Senator John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) said one-third of the gas produced in the state is burned off, so the project will cut down on gas flaring and emissions, and will produce another revenue stream for the state.

The pipeline is “another major piece of infrastructure that will help us build our North American energy security partnership with our closest friend and ally Canada,” Hoeven said in a press statement. 

Approval for this project moved along much faster than the Keystone XL Pipeline process, gaining approval in just three years while the Keystone project has been waiting five years for a decision.

The Keystone project, however, runs through nine states, making the potential environmental impact much higher and a leak more dangerous. A decision on the Keystone project is expected by the end of this summer.

U.S. energy secretary Ernest Moniz has promised to streamline and accelerate the department’s decision-making process.