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

Construction began in August 2007 in select areas, and the pipeline is expected to be fully operational in 2008.

How long will project construction affect each landowner’s property?

The time spent on each property will vary slightly based on weather and the uniqueness of the land. However, each landowner will generally experience intermittent construction activity on his or her property over an estimated period of six weeks from right-of-way grading to clean up. In advance of construction activities, the company will notify landowners of the construction schedule.

Will inspectors be on site during pipeline construction?

Yes, Minnesota Pipe Line Company has contracted for a staff of safety, craft, agricultural and environmental inspectors to monitor the work of MinnCan Project contractors. In addition, there are agricultural monitors reporting to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and environmental monitors reporting to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Will Minnesota Pipe Line Company clean up after construction?

Yes, Minnesota Pipe Line Company will clean up following construction and will do so in accordance with our construction plans approved by the PUC.

How was the MinnCan Project route selected?

Minnesota Pipe Line Company submitted its preferred route in a Route Permit application in January 2006.

The public, approximately 1,000 Minnesotans, provided input on the project and the company’s preferred pipeline route in a total of 30 public meetings/hearings held in March, August and September 2006. This process also included some alternative routes being proposed to the PUC by the public and MPL.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission determined the final pipeline route in a 4-0 vote on February 15, 2007. Their route included two of the submitted alternatives.

Does the approved route meet state requirements?

Our route goals met the criteria for pipeline route selection set forth in Minnesota Rule 4415.0100. Subpart 2 of the Rule requires that the characteristics, the potential impact, and methods to minimize or mitigate the potential impacts of the proposed routes be considered so that a route may be selected that minimizes human and environmental impact.

MPL’s Route goals were:

• Avoid as many farmsteads, residences, and residential developments as possible
• Use as many existing utility corridors as possible
• Avoid and minimize impacts to environmentally sensitive areas such as lakes, wetlands, wildlife habitats, etc.
• Ensure safety of nearby residents, businesses, and the environment during construction of the pipeline
• Make the route as short as possible to reduce the inconvenience to residents, businesses and communities

What’s next with landowners who have not yet signed easement agreements?

Minnesota Pipe Line Company is still seeking and strongly prefers to acquire easement agreements from landowners voluntarily. We will continue negotiations with willing parties.

However, because of delays in the state’s permitting process, we needed to act quickly to finalize construction plans. In compliance with Minnesota law, we filed the necessary papers to begin condemnation proceedings when the permits became effective.

Will the pipeline be safe?

Safety and environmental stewardship are Minnesota Pipe Line Company’s top priorities.

Pipelines move crude oil and other liquid petroleum products more safely, effectively and economically than any other method. Each year, billions of gallons of crude oil are transported from production fields and ports to refineries and refined products are delivered to airports and terminals for distribution throughout the country.

Minnesota Pipe Line Company takes proactive steps to ensure that health, safety, security and environmental issues are addressed as pipelines are planned, constructed and operated. Pipeline system operations are also subject to federal, state and sometimes local environmental and safety standards and regulations.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), acting through the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), is the federal agency which oversees and regulates the company’s pipeline systems throughout the design, construction, maintenance and operational phases.

While the federal government is primarily responsible for pipeline safety regulations, pipeline safety statutes allow for states to assume intrastate regulatory, inspection and enforcement responsibilities in partnership with OPS. The Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety (MN OPS) is the state agency primarily responsible for pipeline safety in Minnesota.

In order to ensure our priorities of protecting people and the environment are met, Minnesota Pipe Line Company provides employees with comprehensive safety training and the tools needed to achieve these priorities.

How will Minnesota Pipe Line Company ensure pipeline integrity?

Minnesota Pipe Line Company has an Integrity and Reliability Program in place to support our goal of zero safety incidents, zero releases to the environment, and regulatory compliance.

The main components of this program are:

• Operations monitoring – A Pipeline Control Center that monitors the pipeline 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that it is running safely and efficiently.
• Corrosion prevention - Internal and external pipeline corrosion prevention and monitoring practices. Tests are performed at a frequency determined by company requirements and those of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
• Excavation damage prevention
  
• A Public Awareness Program that regularly provides pipeline safety and damage prevention information to the public, excavators, emergency responders, and local public officials.
• One Call capability in conjunction with Minnesota’s Gopher State One Call Center.
• Aerial and ground pipeline route patrols to identify and prevent activities on the right-of-way that could impact the integrity of the pipeline.
• Signs and markers along the pipeline right-of-way to notify the public of the pipeline’s presence and provide a toll-free telephone number to the Pipeline Control Center.
• Inspections – Regular pipeline and right-of-way inspections.

• Emergency response – Koch Pipeline Company’s emergency response capability ensures that resources and qualified personnel are available to respond to a pipeline emergency.

More details on the Integrity and Reliability Program are available on our Safety and Environmental Stewardship Fact Sheet.

If a spill occurs, who is responsible for the cleanup?

In the unlikely event of a spill, the company will take responsibility for the cleanup.

Will there be automatic shut-offs on the pipeline?

Valves will be placed along the pipeline to allow for isolation of segments of the pipeline to reduce the volume of product released in the unlikely event of a leak. Some of these valves will be remotely operated by the technicians in the pipeline control center and others can be operated manually at the valve sites.

What will the sound level be at the new pump station in Stearns County?

Electric motors at the pump station generate the majority of the station’s sound. Minnesota Pipe Line Company’s specification for electric motors of this type limits the maximum sound level to 85 decibels at a distance of three feet from the motors. In comparison, a sound level of 85 decibels is approximately equal to*:

• Heavy traffic or a noisy restaurant (85)
• Tractor (90)
• Hair dryer (60-95)
• Power lawnmower (65-95)
• Handsaw (80)
• Garbage disposal (70-95)

At a distance of 100 feet from the electric motors, the sound level is anticipated to decrease to approximately 65 decibels. In comparison, a sound level of 65 decibels is approximately equal to*:

• Normal conversation (60)
• Washing machine (50 to 75)
• Air conditioner (50-75)
• Vacuum cleaner (60-85)

The distance that sound carries is dependent upon the ambient sound level and varying atmospheric, physical and environmental conditions. Based on sound measurements taken in January 2006 at three locations near the future Stearns County pump station, the local ambient sound level measured 56 decibels at all three locations.

Minnesota Pipe Line’s existing pipeline has eight pump stations that are of similar design to the new station.

* Based on an article from the League for the Hard of Hearing.

What will the pipeline be made of?

The pipe is made of carbon steel and manufactured to meet the requirements of API 5L 43rd Edition as stipulated by the Department of Transportation regulations for pipelines transporting crude oil. A protective fusion-bonded epoxy coating is applied to the pipe to protect it from corrosion.

Will this pipeline lead to lower prices for gasoline and other fuel products in the region?

There are many pricing factors, most of which can’t be fully predicted, but anything that provides additional supplies or more options tends to improve prices. Developing Canada’s oil sands and building the MinnCan Project pipeline will help relieve some of the crude oil supply constraints faced by refiners in the Twin Cities. The MinnCan Project will also help to ensure an abundant and stable fuel supply for consumers in the region.