NATIVE NEWS: Minnesota regulators revoke pipeline permit amid tribal pushback

By Chez Oxendine Tribal Business News

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has rescinded a permit for the reconstruction of a petroleum pipeline near Pipestone National Monument after tribal nations raised concerns about the project’s impact on sacred land.

The commission’s unanimous decision on Tuesday reversed its September 2024 approval that would have allowed Magellan Pipeline Co. to reactivate a southwest Minnesota petroleum pipeline. The pipeline, which transported petroleum products such as diesel, gas, and jet fuel between Sioux Falls, S.D., and Marshall, Minn., stopped operating in 2022 when its permit expired.

Magellan applied to reopen the pipeline in 2023, citing increased demand. The company proposed a 13-mile detour around the monument, but tribal nations opposed the route due to the site’s cultural significance. Pipestone National Monument, established in 1937, serves as both a ritual space and a source of red stone for pipes. Twenty three tribes maintain cultural affiliations with the quarries. 

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Catlinite quarry with water at the bottom from spring floods and a sign saying "Quarry Pit Floor Slippery When Wet" in Pipestone National Monument, Pipestone, Minnesota, United States. (Photo: Jonathunder via GNU FLD Version 1.3)