Hoeven: Construction Begins on North Bakken Expansion Pipeline

Senator Helped Secured Federal Approval for $260 Million Natural Gas Pipeline Project

BISMARCK, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today issued the following statement after WBI Energy began construction on the North Bakken Expansion Pipeline. Hoeven worked to secure federal approval for the $260 million natural gas expansion project, which will help to reduce flaring in the Bakken and provide an additional 250 million cubic feet per day of natural gas takeaway capacity for operators in the region. 

“With construction now started on the North Bakken Expansion Pipeline, we’re one step closer to realizing the economic and environmental benefits of this $260 million infrastructure project,” said Hoeven. “We worked to secure federal approval for this project to help reduce flaring in the Bakken and bring natural gas to market. This project will help our state to produce more energy, transport natural gas to market and do so with better environmental stewardship.”

In June, Hoeven announced approval of the pipeline project by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). When FERC’s consideration of new pipeline approvals appeared to stall since October 2020, Hoeven made the case to FERC to advance critical projects like the North Bakken Expansion Pipeline. The senator led a bipartisan group of 25 senators in April in calling on FERC to act and review the North Bakken Expansion project and 13 other natural gas pipeline infrastructure projects pending before the Commission. Additionally, the North Dakota delegation had earlier expressed their support for the project and urged FERCto take timely action on the project, which had been awaiting FERC consideration since its formal filing in February 2020.

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