RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – South Dakota regulators are reviewing water-permit applications for the construction of the Keystone XL crude-oil pipeline.
The Rapid City Journal reports that TransCanada Corp. has applied for three permits to withdraw water from the Cheyenne, Bad and White rivers in western South Dakota.
A federal judge in Montana filed an injunction in November prohibiting TransCanada from starting to build the pipeline.
The Canadian company’s three applications consisted of water withdrawal requests totaling around 167 million gallons annually. The applications note the water would be used during construction for dust control, horizontal-directional drilling, pump-station construction and hydrostatic testing of the pipeline.
South Dakota’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources has recommended approval of the permits. The state Water Management board is scheduled to consider the applications on March 6.
