Regulator: Dakota Access Pipeline Worker Killed in Accident
By james macpherson, associated pressBISMARCK, N.D. — Aug 27, 2016, 3:18 PM ET
A man working on the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline was killed in an apparent accident in western North Dakota, a state regulator said Saturday.
North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk said the man, whose name has not been released, died of his injuries Friday afternoon. The man was working for a subcontractor on land restoration.
The man was working as subcontractor for Dallas-based operator Energy Transfer Partners, which is building the nearly 1,200-mile pipeline from North Dakota to Illinois.
"We are saddened to learn that an employee of a subcontractor on the project in western North Dakota has died in an apparent work-related accident," the company said in a statement. "Our hearts and prayers are with his family. We do not have any additional details at this time."
The pipeline begins in western North Dakota and already is completed there, Kalk said. The site of the death is more than 200 miles away from where hundreds of mostly American Indians are protesting the pipeline in southern North Dakota. Tribal members fear the pipeline will harm water supplies and destroy sacred sites.
Kalk said the man was on a tractor Thursday, covering the underground pipeline with soil and grass seed. Kalk said the company reported Friday that the man suffered a serious head injury, apparently while working on equipment. He was taken to a Minot hospital, where he died.
The man was working alone and was found by his foreman, Kalk said.
"The company no reason to believe this was anything other than terrible accident," Kalk said.
State and federal regulators expect a full report on the incident early next week, he said.
==================
UPDATE: Dakota Access Pipeline worker killed in accident
Saturday, August 27, 2016 9:47 a.m. CDT by Jim Monk
Dakota Access Pipeline (U.S. District Court) TIOGA, ND - (KFGO-AM) - A man who was working on the Dakota Access Pipeline project has been killed in a work-related accident near Tioga.
North Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Brian Kalk says details about the accident are still being gathered.
“What we know is, an individual who was driving a tractor with a seed drill behind, working by himself in the area; something happened” Kalk said. “Everything we’re getting from the company in the initial investigation looks like it’s really a bad accident.”
A seed drill is a piece of farm equipment used to plant seeds and cover them with dirt. The seed drill sows the seeds at equal distances, and most importantly, at proper depth.
Planting seed on the ROW uses the same equipment as found working on farm land. The farm tractor is used to till the ground, plant ROW grass seed and perform other tasks.
Kalk says it appears the man died from head injuries. He says the pipeline is already in the ground in the area and says the man was working for a subcontractor on land restoration.
The accident happened Thursday afternoon. Kalk says state regulators were notified of the incident Friday as required by an agreement that pipeline contractors have with the PSC.
====================
Overview
Dakota Access, LLC, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Crude Oil Company, LLC, is developing a new pipeline to transport crude oil from the Bakken/Three Forks play in North Dakota to a terminus in Illinois with additional potential points of destination along the pipeline route. Highlights of the Project include:
- The pipeline is anticipated to be fully functional by 2016.
- The pipeline will translate into millions in state and local revenues during the construction phase and an estimated $156 million in sales and income taxes.
- The Dakota Access Pipeline Project is a $3.7 billion investment into the United States directly impacting the local and national labor force by creating 8,000–12,000 construction jobs and up to 40 permanent operating jobs.
- The committed volume rates of the pipeline project have already created historically high shipment ratios, with the pipeline projected to carry half of the Bakken’s current daily crude oil production.
- The pipeline will meet or exceed state and federal safety requirements and at a minimum will be designed in accordance with 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 195.
The Route
The Dakota Access pipeline is proposed to transport light, sweet crude oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota and Iowa into Illinois. Traveling through 50 counties in 4 states, the proposed route was carefully designed to transport crude in the safest, most efficient way possible.
Working with engineers, agriculture experts, and farmers, the Dakota Access team conducted on-the-ground surveys of the proposed route to ensure that the route had taken into consideration every aspect of the land in order to mitigate any risks.
As permits are filed, the route is still subject to change slightly in order to accommodate the individual needs and concerns of landowners along the route.
