At least three Iowa counties have hired engineers to oversee the installation of a proposed underground oil pipeline, pending its approval.
Read MoreAt least three Iowa counties have hired engineers to oversee the installation of a proposed underground oil pipeline, pending its approval.
Read MoreThe Iowa Utilities Board ruled this week that Dakota Access, LLC, substantially complied with Iowa law when it notified landowners of its plans to seek a permit to build an oil pipeline across their property. Because the legally-required newspaper notice erroneously stated that the pipeline would be buried under 60 inches of soil, instead of under 48 inches of soil (which is the actual plan), an environmental coalition (including the Sierra Club) challenged the validity of the notice in a January 5, 2015, “Motion for Clarification.” The coalition alleged that Dakota Access should have to send proper notice and then reschedule all of its public informational meetings in the impacted counties. The coalition sought to have any further action placed on hold until the new notice was provided and the meetings were held.
Read MoreAmerica’s energy independence has brought new economic opportunities to our communities. As our nation strives to rid ourselves of the influence of foreign oil, infrastructure projects such as the Dakota Access Pipeline make sense for our economy and energy future.
Read MoreAgriculture is the livelihood of thousands of families throughout the region. We understand this, and will work to communicate effectively and honestly throughout the pipeline construction and reclamation process to safeguard the land.
Read MoreThe construction of a new crude oil pipeline from North Dakota to southern Illinois is expected to create as many as 12,000 construction jobs. A majority of those jobs are expected to go to union workers, which has local labor eager to get to work.
Read MoreA majority of Iowans support plans for a crude oil pipeline in Iowa and a wind electricity transmission line project, but they overwhelmingly oppose the use of eminent domain for both projects, according to a new Des Moines Register Iowa Poll.
Fifty-seven percent of Iowans favor the proposed Bakken oil pipeline, which would cross 343 miles through Iowa while transporting North Dakota crude oil to Illinois. Thirty-two percent are opposed, and 11 percent are not sure.
Read MoreI would like to respond to a recent letter published by ISU student Angie Carter. As a fellow ISU student, our environment and safety is a main concern for myself as well. Unlike Carter, I do support the Dakota Access Pipeline because it is actually the safest way to transport crude oil.
Carter referenced recent pipeline leaks and environmental concerns as the reason to oppose the project. I’ve heard Energy Transfer Partners’ presentation on the Dakota Access Pipeline, and I came away very impressed with the steps being taken to protect Iowa’s land. Today’s pipelines are constructed under much stricter safety guidelines, using vastly improved materials and construction methods compared to those pipelines decades old, referenced in Carter’s letter.
Read MoreHere in Iowa we take great pride in the fact that our farmers’ hard work fuels not just the region, but the nation as a whole. For generations, farming has been a way of life characterized by hard work, good stewardship, and the satisfaction that comes from cultivating the land to feed your family and the world. Our farmers’ hard work provides us with one of the nation’s must robust economies, but we must maintain a clear view of both the opportunities and obstacles that will weigh on our future.
Among those factors is our nation’s increasing energy development, and the transportation infrastructure upon which our region relies to get products to market. At recent IUB meetings concerning the Dakota Access Pipeline it is clear how the two are closely intertwined.
Read MoreThe Jan. 20 Register editorial “Keystone debate detracts from real issue” indicates confusion about part-time jobs and individual projects, the latter being prevalent in the construction and entertainment industries. Individual projects, which might last four to eight months, when strung back to back, result in yearly employment for thousands of middle-class laborers and their families. They mean jobs and money for those who provide materials, goods, transportation and services related to those projects.
The editorial further suggests Gov. Terry Branstad’s reasonable request for further study of the Bakken pipeline proposal, which was introduced last July, is somehow equivalent to President Barack Obama’s seven years of dallying over the Keystone XL, which was first proposed by Canada in 2008 and commissioned in the U.S. in 2010. After environmental, economical, energy and employment impact studies, the pipeline was approved by the U.S. State Department, which considered it to be modern, efficient and safe with little negative environmental impact.
Read MoreFour public meetings have been held across eastern South Dakota by backers of a proposed crude oil pipeline.
The Dakota Access pipe from run from the Bakken oilfields in North Dakota, across South Dakota and Iowa to refineries in Illinois.
Read More