TransCanada Willing to Play Nice with North Dakota...

...so what gives with the hardball condemnation games with South Dakotans?

The Mitchell Daily Republic runs an editorial from the Fargo Forum approving of TransCanada's dealings with the city of Fargo. When Fargo raised a ruckus about environmental and safety concerns, TransCanada apparently listened.

Fargo got the company to build features into the pipeline that further reduce the risk of an oil spill reaching the city’s water supply in the Sheyenne River and Lake Ashtabula.

In exchange, Fargo agreed to drop its intervener status with the North Dakota Public Service Commission, which means the permitting process and eventually construction can proceed on schedule [The Forum of Fargo, ND, editorial; reprinted in "City's Pipeline Deal Is Satisfactory," Mitchell Daily Republic, 2007.12.26].

This Jamestown Sun article further shows TransCanada is capable of cooperation. The company started negotiating with the North Dakota Forest Service in May 2006 and will protect the Pembina Gorge area by (1) siting its pipeline crossing at the narrowest point of the river and (2) using horizontal drilling, which costs five times as much as regular trench digging ($500/ft vs $100/ft).

Perhaps some of this "good corporate citizenship" will work its way down South Dakota way, and TransCanada will rethink taking landowners to court and instead negotiate better deals with South Dakota landowners.

The above examples show that TransCanada is willing to compromise. But they won't do it unless you stand up for what you want. South Dakotans facing condemnation hearings, take heart. Keep fighting, and TransCanada just might listen. Remember: they've got oil money. They can afford to compromise.