At the recent North Dakota Governor’s Pipeline Summit in Bismarck, Gov. Jack Dalrymple had a message for industry leaders: We aren’t even close to too much of a good thing.

As fast as oil pipeline capacity in North Dakota has grown—from 286,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2009 to the expected 783,000 bbl/d by the end of 2014, according to the governor’s office—production continues to outpace it. The North Dakota Industrial Commission reported production ticked past 1 million bbl/d in the second quarter.

“We have made tremendous progress in expanding our interstate oil and natural gas pipelines as well as our in-state gathering systems,” Dalrymple said. “But we must continue to develop pipeline systems that safely move our energy resources to more markets and reduce the flaring of natural gas.”

Three companies, at least, are heeding the call.

At the summit, representatives from Enterprise Products Partners LP announced plans to build a new oil pipeline to transport about 200,000 bbl/d from the Bakken Shale to the crude oil trading hub at Cushing, Okla.

Also, Energy Transfer Partners LP announced plans to build the 1,100-mile Bakken Pipeline to transport crude from strategic points in the Bakken/Three Forks production area of North Dakota to Patoka, Ill. In Patoka, the Bakken Pipeline will connect with Energy Transfer’s 30-inch Trunkline Pipeline, which is being converted from natural gas to crude transportation service. From there, oil can be transported to Midwest and East Coast markets by rail, or to the Gulf Coast via the Trunkline Pipeline.

Then, Enbridge Energy Partners LP announced approval for its previously announced Sandpiper Pipeline that would transport up to 225,000 bbl/d of crude from Beaver Lodge Station near Tioga, N.D., to Clearbrook, Minn., and up to 375,000 bbl/d from Clearbrook to an Enbridge terminal in Superior, Wis. From Superior, other pipelines are available to transport oil to refineries in the U.S. and eastern Canada.

If pipeline and refinery projects projected to enter service by the end of 2016 can meet the predicted 1.4 million bbl/d of oil transportation capacity, the pipeline industry may make a start at closing the gap between North Dakota’s production and transportation.

Caryn Livingston can be reached at clivingston@hartenergy.com or 713-260-6433.