Milk River Pipeline

Milk River Pipeline Ltd. owns the Milk River Pipeline system which is operated by Inter Pipeline Ltd. The pipeline transports a variety of crude oil streams between Alberta, Canada and Montana, U.S. Milk River Pipeline’s assets are solely located within Alberta, Canada.

The main receipt point on the Milk River Pipeline is the interconnect with the BRPL (Bow River Pipeline System) near Milk River, Alberta. The BRPL is owned and operated by Inter Pipeline Ltd., and is regulated by the Alberta Energy Regulator.

Milk River Pipeline System is classified in the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) Group 2 category for regulations and compliance. The capacity of the Milk River Pipeline is approximately 15,565 cubic metres per day (approximately 100,000 barrels per day).

Milk River Pipeline system is operated by Inter Pipeline Ltd. The homepage and operational programs can be located here.

Tolls & Tariffs are the form of agreements between a pipeline company and its stakeholders for product transportation. These documents contain the terms and conditions under which the service of a pipeline is offered or provided. It includes the tolls, rules and regulations and practices relating to specific services.

Abandonment funding is a process to ensure that funds are in place to meet future abandonment obligations associated with pipelines and other above-ground facilities. As part of that process, Milk River has a trust account to collect funds for future abandonment costs. The details of the trust account are contained in the trust audited financial statement and associated financial reporting form (Appendix XV).

MRPL Jan. 2024 Rules and Regulations Appendix XV Reporting Form Milk River Milk River Trust Fund Financial Statements

The safety and protection of the public, employees, contractors, the environment and our assets are top priorities for the Milk River Pipelines Emergency Management Program (EMP).

As stated in Milk River Pipeline’s Emergency Management Commitment Statement, Milk River Pipeline is prepared to manage all emergencies and is prepared to protect the public, workers, environment and company assets. The EMP is focused on making sure all hazards and risks are identified, and personnel can respond quickly and safely to an unplanned event or incident.

Milk River Pipeline systems Emergency Management Program Summary and Emergency Procedures Manuals are available online, accessible via below links.

Note that portions of the plans have been redacted in accordance with CER Order AO-001-MO-006-2016 to protect personal information or security-sensitive information.

Emergency Management Program Summary Emergency Procedure Manual

We are committed to the highest standards of environmental protection and safety throughout our organization. Providing a workplace that protects the health and safety of our employees, contractors and the communities surrounding our facilities is critical to the success of our business.

Our Security Management Program (SMP) aims to safeguard the business by assessing the risks we face, and allowing for the proper security controls, policies, standards, processes and procedures which protect Milk River Pipeline’s operations and assets from unlawful activities.

Security Awareness Training encourages all employees, contractors and other on-site personnel to be aware of their roles and responsibilities surrounding security at the Milk River Pipeline, including how to respond to security situations. This helps employees understand their part in maintaining the safety and security of our assets at all times.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) recognizes that pipelines are a safe and efficient means of transporting large quantities of crude oil and natural gas over land.

The combination of pipelines, rail and truck help our industry connect customers with the energy projects they need. The asset contract operator owns over 8,400 kilometres of pipelines in Canada, and with the ownership of those assets comes responsibility for inspection, maintenance and repairs.

Its Asset Integrity Program was developed to proactively protect its pipelines and facilities to ensure safe operations. The asset contract operator’s dedication to the most stringent regulatory requirements and industry best practices is integral to the health and safety of the communities and environment where it operates.

For more information on Pipeline Safety, visit Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).

We have a comprehensive Damage Prevention Program, which includes core elements that work together to protect the public, employees, assets and the environment by proactively preventing damage to underground infrastructure. Each pillar of the Program approaches public safety in a different way, with the common goal to increase awareness and change unsafe behavior in and around our pipelines.

The core elements are found below and include One-Call Management, Crossings and Encroachments, Ground Disturbance, Right-of-Way Surveillance and Monitoring, and Public Awareness. More information on each of these elements can be found in the resource section below.

To protect people and the environment, and to reduce the risk of pipeline damage, federal and provincial/state laws require anyone planning a ground disturbance or excavation activity near a pipeline right-of-way (ROW) to call, in advance, their local toll-free one-call number in either Canada or the United States.

In the United States, 811 is the free, FCC-designated national one-call number that connects a caller from anywhere in the country to the appropriate local one-call centre. Anyone conducting soil-disturbing activities in the U.S. should call 811. In Canada, the Click Before You Dig website at www.clickbeforeyoudig.com represents Canada’s first national “one-window” approach for requesting location of buried utilities prior to ground disturbance. The Click Before You Dig system is also available in the U.S.

Pipeline markers indicate the general location, not how deep a pipeline is buried or how many lines are underground. Never assume the location or the depth of a pipeline. The CER prescribed area or safety zone is a 30-metre zone measured 30 metres outward on both sides from the centre line of the pipe.

Federal and provincial regulations require anyone planning to excavate near a pipeline right-of-way to first call the appropriate area One-Call toll-free number. The call should be made at least three days before any excavation work is planned. The One-Call operator notifies all utilities – including the owner of the pipeline – of the excavation location and any underground utilities are marked above ground, free of charge.

Milk River Pipeline must be notified of any planned excavation on or near its right-of-way and a representative must be on-site to supervise. For any installations across a Milk River Pipeline right-of-way, written permission is required. Written permission could take up to 10 business days.

Operating agricultural vehicles and equipment across Milk River Pipeline right-of-way is permitted for the purposes of normal farming operations (up to 45 centimetres of depth), such as plowing, cultivation, planting and harvesting. If equipment falls outside normal farming operations, Milk River Pipeline must be contacted to determine whether it can safely cross the right-of-way. 

Resources