Mark Cunningham, pipeline-project manager for Holly Energy, said Monday that the pipeline could withstand a six-foot vertical drop of the earth near the fault line. Also, the pipeline would be transporting crude oil, which is less flammable than natural gas or refined oil, he said.

"The greatest risk to pipelines such as these are third-party damage — someone digging where they are not supposed to be," he said. "That's the beauty of this being in a city street. It's not like a prairie or open land where there's no telling who's going to dig."

The pipeline is proposed to be 61 miles long. It will cost about $50 million to build and will bring about 50,000 barrels of crude oil to the valley daily. Cunningham said he wants to begin construction next spring and finish before next winter.

For more information, log on to www.porcupineridgepipeline.com.

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com