ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Gov. Mark Dayton says more oil pipelines are part of the solution to a rail backlog that has clogged agricultural shipments across Minnesota.
Heavy oil traffic out of North Dakota's oil fields has long been blamed for shipping delays throughout the Midwest. Dayton met with railroad officials, cabinet members and politicians to discuss railroad concerns Monday.
State regulators are still reviewing a $2.6 billion pipeline that would carry nearly 400,000 barrels of crude oil across Minnesota from North Dakota to Superior, Wisconsin. North Dakota officials have already signed off on the project, but the pipeline won't be in service until 2017 at the earliest due to permitting delays in Minnesota.
Dayton says it's important to give pipelines a thorough review because they'll be used for 50 years or longer.