MONTPELIER, Vt. — The company that owns an oil pipeline that runs from Portland to Montreal says it’s considering its options after a Vermont ruling that it would need a state permit to reverse the flow of that pipeline.

On Monday, a Vermont environmental regulator ruled the Portland-Montreal Pipeline Corp. would need an Act 250 land-use permit before it could reverse the flow of the pipeline that runs across northern Vermont and New Hampshire into Maine so it could carry Canadian tar sands oil from Montreal to Portland.

Pipeline spokesman Jim Merrill said in a Tuesday email the company is aware of the Vermont decision and is considering its options.

Some environmentalists worry moving tar sands oil through the region would increase the risk of a spill that could harm the environment.


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