Enbridge Seeks New Pipeline Across Northern Minnesota

WRENSHALL (AP) - Enbridge Inc. plans to file applications this week to build a $2.5 billion pipeline to carry oil from North Dakota across northern Minnesota to Wisconsin.

But opponents, including farmers along the route, are organizing to fight it.

The 610-mile "Sandpiper" line would carry more than 200,000 barrels per day from western North Dakota's Bakken fields to the company's terminal in Superior, Wis. The company says its web of pipelines that transport Bakken oil is straining to keep up, so a new line is crucial.

But organic farmers and other property owners in northeastern Minnesota's Carlton County tell Minnesota Public Radio (http://bit.ly/1dlMlta ) they worry the pipeline will destroy their land and way of life.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will spend a year weighing landowner concerns against the need for Sandpiper.