Tribes: Oil companies should pay for pipeline spills

South Dakota lawmakers are proposing legislation that would require oil companies to pay for cleaning up any pipeline spills or leaks as plans are being made to construct the Keystone XL pipeline in the state.

The State-Tribal Relations Committee on Wednesday agreed to sponsor the bill in the 2020 legislative session at the request of the tribes. The bill would require companies to contribute to a state fund based on the pipeline's length with a cap of $100 million.

Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline point to a recent spill in northeastern North Dakota in raising concerns about management of the pipeline.

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