Residents in the path of Enbridge Energy Co.'s crude oil pipeline running through northeastern Oklahoma will get to have their say soon while the Canadian firm plans for construction to start next month.
Public hearings are scheduled in Drumright and Pawhuska next week to discuss the final Oklahoma leg of the Flanagan South pipeline which will travel from terminals near Chicago to the Cushing oil hub. The 36-inch, 600-mile Flanagan South will run Canadian oil sands and northern U.S. crude.
It will run mostly adjacent to the company's existing 22- to 24-inch Spearhead Pipeline. Together the pipelines will have a capacity to transport 775,000 barrels a day of sweet crude from the Bakken formation in Montana and North Dakota and the oil sands of western Canada once complete in mid-2014.
U.S. Pipeline and Westwood Survey were awarded the construction contract that includes Oklahoma and Kansas. Enbridge spokeswoman Katie Lange said that the unions will hire about 40 to 50 percent of the workforce locally. At peak, there could be anywhere from 400 to 700 total workers.
So far, Lange said about 70 to 80 workers will come from the Osage Nation but more will be hired later as work continues.
"There was a very aggressive and robust training program that the Osage Nation did with the four unions," Lange said, noting that 480 people received training that put them in a position to apply for jobs.
Lange said that the company acquired additional easement for the pipeline which will pass through Illinois, Missouri and Kansas before entering Osage County in Oklahoma. Construction is already underway in the other states.
Lange said that the company has completed federal, state, county and local permitting for roads and water-body crossings, including the Arkansas River.
They received a certificate of good standing from the Illinois Commerce Commission in February. In August, they received a nationwide permit from the four core district regions, she said.
The Associated Press reported in July that unlike the Keystone XL project, which crosses an international border and requires State Department approval, the proposed pipeline had attracted little public attention - including among property owners living near the planned route.
Enbridge has touted the local benefits of the project, including temporary jobs and the purchase of local materials, and patronage to restaurants and hotels.
It also maintains that the pipeline will lessen U.S. reliance on crude oil imports.
Osage County Assessor Gail Hedgcoth said that the new pipeline will be assessed for property taxes by length, size and associated structures once it is complete.
"It will definitely bring some money in," she said.
A pumping station is proposed in Pershing near an existing pump station on the adjacent Spearhead Pipeline.
According to the Calgary, Alberta-based company's website, Enbridge operates the longest crude oil and liquids transportation system in the world and is Canada's largest natural gas distribution company.
It also has interests in wind, solar energy, geothermal and hybrid fuels.
Resident meetings
Learn more about the Flanagan South Pipeline
Drumright
Central Tech Pipeline & Safety Center
5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16
3 CT Circle
Pawhuska
Pawhuska Business Center
5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17
1225 Virginia St.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Susan Hylton 918-581-8381
susan.hylton@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Public pipeline meetings set
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