Milk River
Description
Section updated: October 2024
Disclaimer
The Pipeline Profiles interactive maps provide publicly accessible information about CER-regulated pipeline systems. These maps provide information about the pipeline systems we regulate and allow the user to zoom in and view nearby communities and other geographic features.
The information displayed on this map is not meant to be comprehensive, and some datasets have been filtered to show only the most relevant information. Please see the Interactive Pipeline Map to see a more comprehensive picture of CER-regulated pipelines.
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Terms of Use
The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) provides this information for personal and non-commercial uses. The information contained in this map is based on externally sourced information. The CER makes no representations regarding the accuracy of this information. The CER accepts no responsibility or liability for inaccuracies, errors or omissions in the data and any loss, damage or costs incurred as a result of using or relying on the map data in any way.
The pipeline data contained in this map is subject to licensing terms and may not be reproduced, published, distributed or transferred in whole or in part. The map also contains information license under the Open Government License - Canada.
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Sources and Description
Sources
The information contained in these maps is obtained from the following sources: Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) (Provincially Regulated Pipelines); U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) (U.S. Pipelines); Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) (The Community Map of Canada); Geomatics Data Management Inc. (GDM) (CER-regulated pipelines); Government of Canada: Natural Resources Canada, and Surveyor General Branch (Indigenous Lands); Government of Canada: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (Modern and Historic Treaties); North American Cooperation on Energy Information (NACEI) (Refineries).
Description
The Milk River pipeline starts at an interconnect with the Bow River pipeline near Milk River, Alberta. It extends to an interconnect with the Front Range pipeline at the Canada/U.S. border west of Coutts, Alberta.
Overview
- The Milk River pipeline transports a variety of crude oils from Alberta, Canada, to Montana, U.S.
- The pipeline began operations in 1970 and can transport approximately 98,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Markets
- The Milk River pipeline receives crude oil primarily from the Bow River pipeline system. It delivers this crude oil to the Front Range pipeline at the international border near Coutts, Alberta.
- The Bow River pipeline gathers crude oil produced in southeastern Alberta. It delivers it to Hardisty, Alberta, and the Milk River pipeline near Milk River, Alberta. It can also transport crude oil from terminals at Hardisty to Milk River. The Alberta Energy Regulator regulates the Bow River pipeline.
- The Front Range pipeline transports crude oil to refineries in Laurel and Billings, Montana. It also connects to the Rocky Mountain pipeline, which carries oil to destinations in Montana, Wyoming, and other interconnecting pipelines.
Reconciliation Content
- We recognize that all lands are the traditional and/or treaty territories of Indigenous Peoples, however, in this data set, only treaty lands are represented due to data availability.
- For more information about how the traditional territories of Indigenous Peoples in a region are defined, it is best to consult First Nation and Metis governments directly.
- For more information about traditional territories and potential or established treaty rights, you may also consult the Aboriginal and Treaty Rights Information System.
Details
Section updated: October 2024
| Pipeline ownership | |
|---|---|
| Pipeline name | Milk River pipeline |
| CER-regulated company | Milk River Pipeline Ltd. |
| Parent company | Inter Pipeline Ltd. |
| Pipeline attributes | |
| Group for financial regulationFootnote 1 | Group 2 |
| Commenced operations | 1970 |
| Location | The main receipt point on the Milk River pipeline is the interconnect with the Bow River pipeline near Milk River, Alberta. The main delivery point is the interconnect with the Front Range pipeline at the Canada/U.S. border west of Coutts, Alberta. |
| CER-regulated pipeline length (km)Footnote 2 | 70 km |
| Transported commodity | A variety of crude oil streams |
| Pipeline capacity | Approximately 97.9 thousand barrels per day (Mb/d) |
| Major interconnected pipelines | Bow River pipeline, Front Range pipeline |
References
Section updated: October 2024
Company:
CER:
- Regulatory documents for Milk River pipeline facility applications: [Folder 3969044]
- Regulatory documents for Milk River pipeline toll & tariff applications: [Folder 4096304]
Data sets on Open Government:
Use
Markets
Section updated: October 2024
Markets
The Milk River Pipeline transports crude oil from Alberta, Canada to refineries in Montana, U.S., as well as to the Rocky Mountain pipeline, which carries oil onwards to destinations in Montana, Wyoming and other interconnecting pipelines.
Milk River pipeline receives supply primarily from the Bow River pipeline system, which gathers crude oil produced in southeastern Alberta and delivers it to Hardisty, Alberta and the Milk River pipeline near Milk River, Alberta.
Transportation costs (tolls)
Section updated: May 2025
A toll is the price charged by a pipeline company for transportation and other services. Tolls allow pipeline companies to safely operate and maintain pipelines. Tolls also provide funds for companies to recover capital (the money used to build the pipeline), pay debts, and provide a return to investors. The interactive graph below shows the tolls on the pipeline since 2013.
Milk River Pipeline Ltd. is subject to Group 2 financial regulation. Accordingly, the tolls are regulated by the CER on a complaint basis.
Official CER documents related to the traffic, tolls and tariffs for the Milk River pipeline are available:
- Milk River Pipeline Ltd. regulatory documents (Tolls and Tariffs) [Folder 4096303].
- Plains Midstream Canada ULC regulatory documents (Tolls and Tariffs) [Folder 813186].
Data Source and Description
Data Source: Open Government
Description: The above chart displays tolls data for the pipeline system.
Abandonment funding
Section updated: October 2024
The CER requires all pipeline companies to set aside funds to safely cease operation of their pipelines at the end of their useful lives. In 2013, PMC estimated it would cost $4.1 million to do this for the Milk River pipeline. In 2018, it updated this estimate to $2.8 million. In 2024, this number was revised to $7.4 million. These funds are being collected and set aside in a trust. Collection period end date is December 31, 2049.
Official CER documents related to abandonment funding can be found here, sorted by year and by company: abandonment funding documents [Folder 3300366]. Financial information
Financial resource requirements Section updated: October 2024
The Canadian Energy Regulator Act requires oil pipeline companies to set aside funds to pay for the costs of any incident that occurs, such as a spill. See sections 136 to 142 of the Act for more information. MRPL has demonstrated that it has financial resources in excess of $300 million dollars. Official CER documents can be found here:Milk River Pipeline financial resource requirements documents [Folder 4026043]. Pipeline financial information Section updated: October 2024
Pipeline companies report important financial information to the CER quarterly or annually. A solid financial position enables companies to maintain their pipeline systems, attract capital to build new infrastructure, and meet the market’s evolving needs. The data in this table comes from audited financial statements for the Milk River pipeline: The financial information presented in Table 2 reflects regulatory information prepared by each CER-regulated pipeline company and filed quarterly or annually with the CER. This information is filed to inform shippers, the CER and other interested parties on pipeline revenues and expenses and is used in monitoring pipeline transportation costs. Methodologies used in the preparation of this financial information may reflect regulatory decisions and guidance and unique negotiated agreements between a pipeline company and its shippers and interested parties. These methodologies, and the resulting financial information presented, may not follow established accounting principles used in other corporate reporting, and may not be comparable between different CER-regulated companies. For more information, please see the regulatory documents in CER’s REGDOCS and any associated notes contained within them. Corporate financial information Section updated: October 2024
MRPL is a wholly owned subsidiary of IPL. IPL is an energy infrastructure company engaged in the transportation, processing, marketing, and storage of commodities and petrochemical products across western Canada and Europe. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Calgary, Alberta. Credit ratings provide an assessment of the financial strength of a company, including its ability to attract capital to build new infrastructure and meet financial obligations. The credit ratings below are expert opinions of how likely the debt issuer is to live up to its obligations. Financial regulatory audits Section updated: October 2024
The CER audits pipeline companies to confirm compliance with the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, regulations, CER orders, and CER decisions. Financial regulatory audits focus on toll and tariff matters such as detecting cross-subsidies. Milk River pipeline’s last financial regulatory audit, when it was owned by PMC, was completed on 28 January 2015. Official CER documents related to Milk River's financial regulatory audits can be found here: [Folder 2452652]. Safety and environment Section updated: May 2025
Section updated quarterly (early March, mid-May, mid-August and mid-November) The information in this section reflects data belonging to Milk River Pipeline Ltd. To view data belonging to the previous owners, download the data found under “Source and Description” for each dashboard. Then, sort by “Company” and select “Plains Midstream Canada ULC.” Conditions compliance Section updated: May 2025
Every pipeline company in Canada must meet federal, provincial or territorial, and local requirements. This includes Acts, Regulations, rules, bylaws, and zoning restrictions. Pipelines are also bound by technical, safety, and environmental standards along with company rules, protocols and management systems. In addition to these requirements, the Commission may add conditions to regulatory instruments that each company must meet. Conditions are project-specific and are designed to protect public and the environment by reducing possible risks identified during the application process. Condition compliance is part of the CER's oversight and enforcement action is taken when required. Conditions can be related to a specific region, or apply to the pipeline project as a whole. The map below displays the number of in progress and closed conditions mapped to economic regions as defined by Statistics Canada. Conditions can typically be either in-progress or closed. The CER follows up on in-progress conditions. This status refers to conditions that continue to be monitored by the CER. This happens when: This status refers to: Note: Some conditions apply to multiple regions. Conditions may be double counted across regions, resulting in a higher number of conditions than the totals seen in the buttons above. Data Source: Open Government Description: The above map displays the number of CER conditions associated with projects approved by the Commission. The map is split into two tabs which show in-progress and closed conditions separately, mapped to an economic region. If a company has no in-progress conditions specific to an economic region, the dashboard will default to show the closed conditions by region. An additional view is available which contains the number of in-progress and closed conditions that don't have a corresponding economic region in the dataset. The map regions are shaded based on the number of conditions, with lighter coloured regions containing fewer conditions compared to darker colors. Conditions that apply to more than one region are double counted in the map, and these conditions will appear in the map region total and map region breakdown for each applicable region. The condition counts contained in the map navigation buttons represent total conditions without region double counting. Have you checked out the CER's interactive conditions data visualization? This tool offers a deep dive into the CER's conditions compliance data and process, exploring conditions across all CER regulated companies by keyword, project, and location. Reported incidents Section updated: May 2025
The information presented here is based on CER data (2008 to current) for incidents reported under the Onshore Pipeline Regulations and the Processing Plant Regulations. New data is added quarterly. Learn more on how incident data collection has evolved since the NEB (now the CER) was established in 1959. Companies must report events, such as incidents, to the CER in accordance with the CER Event Reporting Guidelines. Knowing what happened, and why, helps us find ways to prevent them from happening again. As defined in the OPR, “incident” means an occurrence that results in: As defined in the PPR, “incident” is defined as an occurrence that results or could result in a significant adverse effect on property, the environment, or the safety of persons. For the purposes of incident reporting in the PPR, events that fall under this definition include, but are not limited to: Companies self-report incidents and are expected to take a precautionary approach in doing so. This means that even when there is doubt as to whether an incident should be reported, the company must report it. The approach is, “When in doubt, report.” This is consistent with CER-regulated companies’ responsibility for anticipating, preventing, mitigating and managing incidents of any size or duration. The CER reviews all reported incidents to assess whether companies have taken the appropriate corrective actions and to identify potential trends in incidents. Each incident is given a status indicating the current stage of the CER's incident review. Operation Beyond Design Limits Includes situations, such as: Operation beyond design limit is typically linked to an over-pressure of the product in the pipe; however, if a pipe was exposed to excessive vibration and was not designed for this, this could be considered operation beyond design limits. Operation beyond design limits does not include equipment contacting the pipe, or corrosion pits, etc. Data Source: Open Government Description: The above map displays the location of product release incidents that have occurred on the pipeline system since 2008. The map defaults to show incidents as bubbles which are coloured based on the substance released. Incidents on the map can be re-categorized based on the most recently available status of the CER's incident review, the year in which the incident was reported, and the province/territory where the incident occurred. The incident map bubble can be switched to show the estimated volume of product released, with larger map bubbles showing larger release volumes relative to other product releases on the system. The incident data can also be toggled to display a stacked bar chart of incidents over time by clicking on the incident trends button above the map. The stacked bars display the number of product release incidents by year, with bar colour segments corresponding to the various products released. Similar to the map, incidents can be re-categorized by clicking on the side buttons to view a breakdown of incidents by status, what happened, why it happened, and province/territory. Have you checked out the CER's interactive incident data visualization? This tool offers a deep dive into the CER's incident data trends, exploring incidents across all CER regulated companies. Operations and maintenance activities Section updated: May 2025
Oil and gas pipeline companies regularly conduct routine operations and maintenance (O&M) activities on CER regulated pipelines. These activities include things such as pipeline repairs, investigative and integrity digs, and many other activities while promoting safety, security, environmental protection, economic efficiency, and respect for the rights of those that may be affected. Companies are required to adhere to Canadian Energy Regulator Act’s Onshore Pipeline Regulations and operate their facilities in a manner that is safe and protects the environment. Authorizations for pipelines typically allow companies to construct and operate a facility, and companies are not required to apply for additional approval to undertake most O&M activities. In certain circumstances, companies are required to notify the CER in advance with sufficient information to make a determination as to whether to inspect O&M activities that could result in safety consequences to landowners or the public, environmental consequences, or a negative impact on normal third-party use of the right-of-way (ROW) or adjacent property. Operations and maintenance activities include: Where any of the following restrictions exist, the company must apply to the Commission in accordance with the CER Act and the related regulations and may not carry out the proposed activity until approval from the Commission has been obtained. The restrictions apply where: O&M activities do not include: Data Source: Open Government Description: The above bar chart displays the number of O&M activities from 2015 to current, arranged based on the starting year of the activity. Each bar is stacked based on several parameters, with the default view showing the province/territory where the O&M activity occurred. Navigation buttons to the right of the bar chart provide the option to view the number of O&M activities by province/territory, if the activity includes an integrity dig, if in-stream work is required, if there are fish present, and if there are species at risk present. View the requirements and guidance notes (O&M Guidelines) for more information on how these events are regulated while promoting safety, security, environmental protection, economic efficiency, and respect for the rights of those that may be affected. Contaminated sites and remediation Section updated: May 2025
As part of the CER’s environmental protection activities, we require companies to manage and remediate contamination throughout the lifecycle of the facilities. As a first step, regulated companies are required to report contamination to the CER through the online submission of the Notification of Contamination (NOC). After the NOC is submitted, companies must demonstrate they are actively managing the contamination according to the Remediation Process Guide. The progress and current status of remediation at the contaminated site are captured in the annual update submitted by a company each year for a contaminated site. Third party contamination is on-site contamination that is shown to not be emanating or migrating from the company’s facilities or company-owned or leased lands or Right-of-Way. While third-party contamination is not the result of company activities, the CER still requires that this contamination is reported to the CER through the submission of the NOC. The dashboard below contains information that is contained in the NOC's and annual updates found in REGDOCS. The CER publishes NOCs that have been submitted to the CER since August 2018, when the CER started collecting this information electronically and annual updates that have been submitted since 2021. For information on contaminated sites for which NOCs were submitted prior to August 2018, email remediation@cer-rec.gc.ca. There are many different methods and approaches to remediate contamination. Thus, when a company submits a plan for remediation (i.e., remedial action plan) for CER review, they are required to include an options analysis to support the remedial method chosen, select appropriate remediation criteria and demonstrate engagement with potentially affected persons, among other requirements. CER analysts also review closure reports submitted by the company once the remediation is completed to ensure remediation has been completed appropriately. Data Source: Open Government Description: The above map displays the approximate location of contaminated sites that have been reported since August 2018. The map defaults to show contaminated sites as bubbles which are coloured based on the year the Notice of Contamination was submitted. Contaminated sites on the map can be re-categorized based on the province/territory, if the site is within 30 metres of a water body, and the applicable land use at the site. The contaminated sites can also be toggled to display a stacked bar chart of events over time by clicking on the contaminated sites trends button above the map. The stacked bars display the number of contaminated sites reported by year. Like the map, contaminated sites can be re-categorized by clicking on the side buttons to view a breakdown of contaminated sites by site status, activity at time of discovery, pipeline or facility, and contaminant type. Open data can be freely used and shared by anyone for any purpose. The data for these graphs are available [CSV]. Damage prevention regulations contravention reports Section updated: May 2025
Damage prevention is where people and pipelines meet; it is the proactive process that keeps people, the environment, and pipelines safe. The CER takes action to protect Canadians and the environment. Some of these actions include having safety requirements for activities near the pipelines that we regulate. Unauthorized activities on or around pipelines are unsafe and illegal. If pipelines are contacted or damaged, the result could be very serious. The CER Damage Prevention Regulations (DPRs) outline the obligations of the pipeline companies to have robust damage prevention and public awareness programs that provide people living and working near pipelines the information to ensure those activities near their pipelines are done safely with respect to the pipeline. The DPRs also outline the requirements for people living and working near pipelines to communicate with pipeline companies when they are planning any construction activity (digging, building, driving on the right-of-way) and to follow the instructions that the pipeline company gives them. Damage prevention is a shared responsibility, and we all play a part in making sure that everyone stays safe when working near a pipeline. Pipeline companies must immediately report to the CER any activity near their pipelines that does not follow the rules and specifications set out in the DPRs. These violations are called contravention reports. The CER provides an Open Government dataset containing information on each reported contravention. Some summary statistics and a dashboard displaying this data is available below. Data Source: Open Government Description: The above map displays the location of DPR contravention reports that have been reported for the pipeline system over the past five plus years. The map defaults to show DPR contravention reports as bubbles which are coloured based on whether the pipe was damaged. DPR contravention reports on the map can be re-categorized based on whether there was a ground disturbance, the year, and who discovered the event. The DPR contravention reports data can also be toggled to display a stacked bar chart of events over time by clicking on the DPR Contravention Reports Trends button above the map. The stacked bars display the number of DPR contravention reports by year, with bar colour segments corresponding to the event type. Similar to the map, DPR contravention reports can be re-categorized by clicking on the side buttons to view a breakdown of events by whether pipe was damaged, who discovered the event, and method of discovery. Emergency management Section updated: October 2024
The CER checks to make sure companies are keeping pipelines safe by doing inspections, in-depth safety audits, and other activities. Yet, even with these precautions, an emergency could still happen. Sound emergency management practices improve public safety and environmental protection outcomes, and provide for more effective emergency response. The CER holds its regulated companies responsible for anticipating, preventing, mitigating, and managing emergencies of any size or duration. Each company must have an emergency management program that includes detailed emergency procedures manuals to guide its response in an emergency. We oversee the emergency management program of a regulated company’s project for its entire operation. The CER requires companies to publish information on their emergency management program and their emergency procedures manuals on their websites so Canadians can access them. To view the Milk River pipeline’s Emergency Response Plan,
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Trust fund balance ($)
891,138
1,060,736
1,004,000
901,000
1,139,000
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
(Jan - May 2021)2021
(Jun - Dec 2021)2022
2023
Revenue (million $)
12.8
13.2
13.6
14.6
15.6
14.6
5.9
10.5
19.9
17.9
Expenses (million $)
4
4.2
4.1
4.5
4.6
3.6
1.4
2
4.8
6.6
Disclaimer
Rating Agency
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
DBRS credit rating
BBB (high)
BBB (high)
BBB (high)
BBB
BBB
BBB
BBB (low)
S&P credit rating
BBB+
BBB+
BBB+
BBB+
BBB-
BBB-
BBB-
Conditions Compliance
In-Progress
Closed
Dashboard instructions
Source and description
Reported Incidents
What is an incident? (Onshore Pipeline Regulations (OPR))
What is an incident? (Processing Plant Regulations (PPR))
Incidents and the CER
CER Status
Incident type definitions: one incident can have multiple types
Are there any incidents near me?
Source and description
Operations and Maintenance Activities
What activities are O&M activities (eligible activities)?
What O&M Activities require CER approval (restrictions on eligible activities)?
What kinds of activities are not O&M activities (ineligible activities)?
Source and description
Contaminated Sites and Remediation
Are there any contaminated sites near me?
Source and description
Damage Prevention Regulations Contravention Reports
Are there any DPR contraventions near me?
Source and description