The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold five meetings across North Dakota starting next week on a new natural gas pipeline approved to hundreds of millions in state funding.

The North Dakota Industrial Commission on April 29 confirmed the commitment of up to $500 million in state financing for the Bakken East pipeline, a 374-mile pipeline proposed by WBI Energy to move 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Bakken Shale in western North Dakota to the central and eastern parts of the state.

The funding approval came after the North Dakota legislature in 2025 authorized up to a half a million dollars for a project that would move the less valuable gas that flows up alongside more valuable crude oil in the oil-heavy Bakken region. The main natural gas supply in eastern North Dakota comes from the Viking Gas Transmission pipeline that delivers gas from Canada.

WBI Energy states that, if approved, the project would be brought online in two phases - the western half in November 2029 and the eastern half in November 2030.

FERC will hold five public scoping meetings over the next two weeks:

May 19, 2026 (5-7 p.m.) at the McKenzie County Ag Expo Exhibit Hall 2, located at 12880 25th Street NW in Watford City, North Dakota

May 20, 2026 (5-7 p.m.) at Hazen City Hall, located at 146 Main Street East in Hazen, North Dakota

May 21, 2026 (5-7 p.m.) at Lady J’s Club and Catering, located at 930 N. Griffin St. in Bismarck, North Dakota

June 2, 2026 (5-7 p.m.) at the Bunker Hill Venue, located at 1530 3rd St S.E. in Jamestown, North Dakota;

June 4, 2026 (5-7 p.m.) at @602 Venue, located at 602 2nd St N. in Casselton, North Dakota.

FERC is also accepting comments on the pipeline until June 4. See the public notice for more information on submitting comments.