North Dakota Regulators Investigating Minnesota Contractor

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A Minnesota contractor that damaged a natural gas pipeline in North Dakota last week has a history of striking pipelines.

The damage caused the release of 126,000 gallons of natural gas liquids and shut down a gas processing plant for three days.

State regulators who recently fined Carstensen Contracting of Pipestone, Minnesota, in another incident are investigating.

President Brad Carstensen says the company took the necessary steps to locate underground pipelines, and is still investigating what happened.

The Bismarck Tribune reports it’s at least the second gas pipeline the contractor has damaged in North Dakota while installing water pipelines. In addition, city leaders in Fort Dodge, Iowa, parted ways with Carstensen last summer after the contractor hit 20 underground utility lines while working on a sewer project.