TransCanada to seek US approval for $600M Upland Pipeline, going north from North Dakota

The Canadian company behind the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline will seek U.S. State Department approval for another pipeline — this one going north.

TransCanada Corp.'s proposed $600 million Upland Pipeline would begin in northwestern North Dakota and go north into Canada. It would transport up to 300,000 barrels of oil daily, connecting with other pipelines including the Energy East pipeline across Canada.

TransCanada hopes to have the Upland Pipeline operating in 2018. It needs approval from the U.S. State Department, North Dakota's Public Service Commission and Canada's National Energy Board.

TransCanada has been trying for years to get U.S. approval for the Keystone XL, which would connect Canada's tar sands to Gulf Coast refineries. Congress last week OK'd construction but President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the measure.