ND pipeline breach renews call for more monitoring

A saltwater spill from an underground pipeline has renewed calls from farmers and environmentalists to ensure such breaches are prevented or caught quickly.

State Rep. Dick Anderson says he might push again for legislation that failed last year to mandate flow meters and cutoff switches.

The Environmental Protection Agency says it has no confirmed reports that the saltwater reached Bear Den Bay on Lake Sakakawea, which provides water for the Fort Berthold reservation.

Critics have said for years that the state hasn't gone far enough to ensure that such catastrophic spills are avoided.

Sierra Club spokesman Wayde Schafer says the number of spills borders on negligence, including a one near a tributary of the Little Missouri River that was blamed on a cow that rubbed against a tank valve.