• To build a pipeline that strengthens Minnesota's energy future
  
• To communicate openly with neighbors
  
• To exceed safety and environmental standards

News Release CONTACT:
Patty Dunn
Office:  651/292-8062
dunn@minncanproject.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FEBRUARY 23, 2006

MINNCAN PROJECT REPRESENTATIVES AND INFORMATION TO BE AVAILABLE AT STATE-HELD OPEN HOUSE/PUBLIC MEETINGS

ROSEMOUNT, Minn . – Representatives from the proposed MinnCan Project will be available at upcoming open houses/public meetings convened by the Minnesota Department of Commerce ( DOC) on behalf of the Public Utilities Commission. The purpose of the meetings is to provide information about the permitting process for the $300 million pipeline expansion project. The meetings will be held in March.

Minnesota Pipe Line Company has filed Certificate of Need and Routing Permit applications with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for the MinnCan Project. MinnCan Project staff will provide information and answer questions about the project’s economic impact, agricultural mitigation, environmental stewardship, engineering and construction, pipeline route maps, and other details.

The open houses/public meetings will be held at the following locations, dates and times:

*Approximately 45 minutes after the start of each meeting, a Department of Commerce presentation will begin.

In addition to the open houses/public meetings, the MinnCan Project team has been meeting with county, city and township officials along its proposed route to provide a project overview and answer their questions.

Public information available
Minnesota Pipe Line Company is committed to keeping the public informed throughout the project. For people who are unable to attend the meetings or who want to submit questions or comments at a later date, they are encouraged to visit the MinnCan Project Web site at www.MinnCanProject.com or call the MinnCan Project toll-free line at 877/796-7846 . People may also sign up on the Web site or over the phone to receive future project newsletters.

MinnCan Project
Continued growth in crude oil consumption in the United States and abroad, the recent instability and a growing concern about the continued access to some crude oil-producing areas such as the Middle East and South America, and oil and fuel supply disruptions due to hurricanes in the Gulf Coast have all contributed to tight crude oil supplies and rising fuel prices in Minnesota and across the nation. Today, new sources of crude oil from proven oil sands reserves in Alberta and Saskatchewan are available and the MinnCan Project would deliver this additional volume of crude oil, to Minnesota refineries, thereby creating more stability in the supply of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, and other petroleum products.

The 24-inch pipeline would cross 300 miles of the state as part of the company’s existing pipeline system, which is owned by Minnesota Pipe Line Company and operated by Koch Pipeline Company. As currently configured, the system has reached its capacity.

Using existing rights-of-way as much as possible, the northern portion of the new pipeline would follow the existing system’s route, which begins in Clearbrook, Minn., and extends south-southeast toward the Twin Cities. The proposed southern portion of the MinnCan Project would be constructed west and south of the Twin Cities. It would end at the Flint Hills Resources Refinery in Rosemount. This endpoint will provide a direct interconnection with that facility and a direct interconnection through existing pipeline facilities with Marathon Petroleum Company’s St. Paul Park Refinery.

In 2006, the MinnCan Project team will work to secure rights-of-way and permits and complete design and other preparation work. Construction would take place in 2007, and the pipeline would be operational in 2008.

Minnesota Pipe Line Company and Koch Pipeline Company
Minnesota Pipe Line Company is owned jointly by Flint Hills Resources, Marathon Pipe Line L.L.C., and Trof, Inc. The Minnesota Pipeline system is operated by Koch Pipeline Company, L.P.

Koch Pipeline Company is a wholly owned, independent subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc. Koch Pipeline Company owns or operates about 4,000 miles of pipeline that carry about 900,000 barrels of crude oil, refined products, and natural gas liquids daily. The company’s Northern Division, headquartered in northern Dakota County, Minn., employs 52 people and operates five pipeline systems.

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