Montana PSC: Canadian pipeline could need 'on-ramp' -- The Associated Press

Feb. 2, 2010

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- Montana's Public Service Commission says a Canadian energy company must seek common carrier status for a pipeline it wants to build through Montana -- a move that could eventually lead to construction of a loading facility for oil produced in the state.

TransCanada Corp. has proposed the 1,980-mile Keystone XL pipeline to carry Canadian crude oil to refineries in the Gulf Coast.

It would pass through Montana for 280 miles. Gov. Brian Schweitzer wants that segment to include an "onramp" for oil producers in his state and neighboring North Dakota. That could improve prices for the region's oil by making it easier to deliver to refiners.

On Tuesday, the five-member PSC voted to tell TransCanada that it must apply for common carrier status. PSC Chairman Greg Jergeson says commissioners could require the onramp as a condition of approval.