BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO-AM) — Bipartisan legislation that would require additional monitoring and safeguards for North Dakota pipelines that carry briny oilfield wastewater has been amended to allow regulators to make the decision on an individual basis.
No one spoke against the changes to the proposed legislation Thursday.
The measure was filed in the wake of a recent 3-million gallon leak near Williston in western North Dakota. It's been called the largest saltwater spill of North Dakota's current oil boom
Senate Republican Majority Leader Rich Wardner is the primary sponsor of the bill. It originally sought to require flow meters and leak-detection devices on pipelines that carry oilfield wastewater.
Wardner's amendment would allow the state Industrial Commission to decide whether the equipment is needed.