County commissioners in Butte, Meade and Harding Counties are in different stages of preparation for the possibility of modular workforce mancamps should the 36-inch Keystone XL pipeline be approved to move oil from Canada to Texas. Neither Butte nor Meade has a zoning ordinance, and Harding County’s is for “conditional use, a non-approved use for an agricultural zone,” according to what Auditor Kathy Glines told rapidcityjournal.com. Pipeline representatives did file an application to construct a 1,260 person mancamp west of Buffalo near the Montana line. As MHProNews has learned, all three counties are also looking to possibly take advantage of the Bakken oil patch in North Dakota. Representatives of Harding and Meade counties have spoken with TransCanada, the pipeline company, about housing and road haul agreements, but nothing has been formalized and no applications have been approved. Rhea Crane in the Meade County planning office said pipeline representatives have inquired about mancamp permits, but nothing about number of occupants. “They’ve been in and they’ve thrown different numbers,” she said.

(Photo credit: Associated Press–modular mancamp, Williston, North Dakota)