By Associated Press - Wednesday, April 23, 2014

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota regulators have approved a siting permit for an electrical transmission line planned for the Killdeer Mountain Battlefield area in the western part of the state.

The three-member Public Service Commission unanimously approved the proposal by Basin Electric Power Cooperative on Wednesday.

The Bismarck-based company plans to build the line near Beulah to near Tioga to deliver more electricity to the Bakken oil fields, where there is a growing demand for power. The cost of the 197-mile line is pegged at $375 million.

Five American Indian tribes in North Dakota have passed a resolution formally opposing the project.

The proposed project also needs federal approval because the route goes through federal grasslands and because the company plans to seek financing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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