ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) -- Backers of a crude oil pipeline want their project to pass through a portion of eastern South Dakota. But thousands of miles of other pipelines already crisscross the state.
There are no crude-oil pipelines in South Dakota currently, said Dusty Johnson, chairman of the state Public Utilities Commission. TransCanada, a Can-adian company, wants to install one from Canada to Oklahoma.
The extent of the PUC's pipeline jurisdiction is 1,427.5 miles of natural gas underground pipes for interstate transport and 223.5 miles for intrastate transport of the same commodity, said spokeswoman Leah Mohr.
Many more miles of pipes run below ground in South Dakota, overseen mainly by the U.S. Department of Transportation. That includes 309 miles operated by NuStar Energy of San Antonio.
NuStar's lines carry gasoline, propane and other fuels, said Joanna Weidman of NuStar. They are part of 457 miles of main pipeline in the state that move hazardous liquids other than natural gas, the PUC reported. About eight companies have underground lines in the state for transmission of all types of fuels.
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Nothing adverse has happened with the Northern Border natural-gas transmission line that was installed 25 years ago. It runs under Stratford-area farmland owned by Ken Jark of Aberdeen.
"It really has not caused any problems for us," Jark said.
Once, dirt on top of a section of pipe caved in when Jark's boys were driving a tractor over a section of the pipe. No one was hurt, and the pipeline company paid for the damage to the tractor, he said.
"That's the only problem we've ever had," he said.
Companies do not own the land through which their pipes pass, but they do have easements from landowners. Northern Border alone pays $3.3 million in property taxes in South Dakota, a spokes-man said.
Many safety measures detect malfunctions with the pipelines, said Michael Loeffler of Northern Natural. Some devices take electronic measurements to check for corrosion, water sometimes is used in gas pipelines to check for leaks, and line crews check for indicators of leakage, he said.
No one in the company can recall a single incident of significant leakage caused by anything other than third-party damage, he said.
In the past 29 years, NuStar has dealt with one leak on its South Dakota pipeline -- a relatively minor incident caused by a third party, Weidman said.
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"It's important to note that pipelines are the safest, most reliable and efficient way to transport crude oil and other liquid petroleum products," she said.
The leak record for underground fuel transmission lines is good in South Dakota, said the PUC's Johnson. Since 1995, one leak has been reported on the natural-gas pipelines that PUC oversees.
Natural gas is lighter than air so it rises above ground if there is a leak, he said. Oil does not rise and therefore can contaminate water, Johnson said -- as evidenced early this month when a refinery malfunction in Coffeyville, Kan., caused 42,000 gallons of crude oil to enter floodwaters.
"When we look at the total number of miles and total number of pipelines, there have not been that many leaks," he said. "But they do happen, so it is something we have to be concerned about."
