MAIN Coalition Statement on Dakota Access Status Hearing

MAIN Coalition spokesman Craig Stevens issued the following statement following today’s status conference that was held in light of President Trump’s order directing the Secretary of the Army to move forward with issuing the easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline:

“We appreciate the long, hard hours local and state law enforcement officers have endured in an effort to protect the peace by serving as a buffer between the protesters and the workers.  We hope that soon, President Trump will issue the final easement, construction will be completed, and everyone can go back to their normal lives.”

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The Pipeline Debate is a Waste of Energy

In a burst of executive orders, President Trump sought Tuesday to revive two controversial oil pipelines — the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL Pipeline. In the process, he reanimated a stale, mostly irrational debate about infrastructure projects that never merited such controversy.

Anti-pipeline activists bear a great deal of blame for this senseless state of affairs. Despite study after study showing that Keystone XL would have negligible effects on the climate, they built a movement around denying the permit the pipeline needed to cross the Canada-U.S. border, backed by implausible arguments about permanently trapping Canadian oil in the ground by choking off access to it. The movement was misleading — stopping the pipeline would not have really moved the needle one way or the other for the environment — and so it was an enormous misallocation of time and energy. Yet they got their prize, anyway, prevailing on the Obama administration to halt the project.

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Army Corps Memo Shows DAPL Should Have Been Approved in December

With the stroke of a pen, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, to “review and approve in an expedited manner” requests for approval to finish construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. This likely signaled an end to months of protesting. Although opponents of the project vowed to continue their resistance, a recently released document from the Army Corps of Engineers shows that the protests face long odds.

In a December 3, 2016 memo, U.S. Army Corps Col. John Henderson outlined the process by which the Corps determined the environmental impact of the pipeline on Lake Oahe. The memo also lays out the legal arguments supporting its approval and construction, specifically countering several of the protesters’ concerns, including water safety and tribal rights. Henderson concludes by recommending that the easement be granted.

“Corps policy is to grant an easement when it is in the public interest,” wrote Henderson. He further explained that granting the easement would not interfere with the operation of the Corps dam near Lake Oahe and that the proposed pipeline met necessary safety requirements.

According to the memo, construction of the pipeline would in fact improve safety, by shifting oil transportation away from truck and rail.

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Union Leaders Discuss Dakota Access on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Hardball with Chris Matthews

Mark McManus, president of the Union of Plumbers, Fitters, Welders, & Service Techs and Terry O’Sullivan, president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday morning to discuss President Trump’s infrastructure plans and recent executive actions to advance the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines.

Trump’s support for the pipeline projects came a day after McManus and O’Sullivan joined other union leaders at the White House for a meeting with President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and other top aids for a conversation on the nation’s infrastructure needs.

Speaking about Dakota Access, O’Sullivan told co-host Joe Scarborough that the project created thousands of “good middle class jobs,” including 4,500 building trades men and women.

In a separate appearance, McManus and O’Sullivan told Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball” that they were “more than encouraged” by their meeting with Trump and his subsequent executive actions to advance the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines.

“This was a big day,” said O’Sullivan. “Less than 24 hours ago we were in the Roosevelt Room and the Oval Office — Mark, myself, and some other labor leaders — talking about these very issues and in less than 24 hours there’s five executive orders that are going to make a difference in our economy, our country, and in the lives of men and women we represent.”

No More Keystone Capers

President Trump is making short work of campaign promises, and on Tuesday he signed executive orders reviving the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. The resurrection is good news for the economy, but one question is whether he’ll sink the projects with his protectionist impulses.

Mr. Trump signed an executive order inviting TransCanada to apply again for a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, which the Obama Administration rejected to indulge the anti-carbon obsessions of Democratic campaign donors. Another Trump directive aims to expedite the Dakota Access pipeline, which is 90% finished but was halted by President Obama amid protests. A federal judge ruled that the government had met its legal obligations, but the Obama Administration suspended work anyway.

Such carve outs for progressive constituencies are one reason voters rejected Democrats in November, and the pipelines promise broader prosperity. Keystone is predicted to spin off 20,000 construction and manufacturing jobs, many of them to be filled by union workers, and add $3 billion to GDP. The pipeline could move 830,000 barrels a day along the route from Alberta to Nebraska; up to 100,000 would come from North Dakota, where a glut of crude has to travel by rail to reach refineries built to process it. The efficiencies will ripple across the oil and gas industry.

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U.S. Energy Takes a Major Step Forward

For years, the Obama administration used its executive authority to obstruct two crucial energy infrastructure projects: the Dakota Access pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline.

Today, the obstruction finally came to an end when President Donald Trump signed two executive orders. This action affirms our new president’s respect for the rule of law and his support for responsible infrastructure development, energy production, and job creation.

One of the executive orders directs all federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to expedite approval of the easement to complete construction of the Dakota Access pipeline project.

Another order invites the TransCanada Corp. to resubmit its application for the Keystone XL pipeline and directs the State Department to expedite its review.

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Dakota Access Memo Cheers Pipeline Supporters

A pair of agency-directed memos signed Tuesday by President Donald Trump could force completion of the controversial Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota as well as breathe new life into the Canadian-based Keystone XL pipeline.

Trump’s memo did not grant a drilling easement for the $3.8 billion Dakota Access project to cross U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land on the Missouri River/Lake Oahe but directs the agency to expedite review with the idea that prior reviews already satisfy federal law.

Congressman Kevin Cramer said he believes the memo will force the agency to rescind the decision it made last week to begin a full-blown environmental impact statement on the crossing and issue an easement in short order.

Cramer said he made contact Tuesday with federal law enforcement agencies, including the CIA and the U.S. Marshal service, in anticipation of pushback from hundreds of pipeline protesters camped near the water crossing just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation when construction resumes.

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What Others Are Saying on President Trump’s Decision to Move Forward on the Dakota Access Pipeline

Bill Gerhard, President, Iowa State Building and Construction Trades Council said, “President Trump’s administration has made completion of this project a priority because it has created jobs and will continue to create new opportunities from North Dakota to Illinois. We look forward to finishing this important construction project.”

Ed Wiederstein, Chairman, Midwest Alliance for Infrastructure Now (MAIN) Coalition said, “The MAIN Coalition is pleased that the Trump Administration has made the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline an immediate priority and will see construction through. With progress on the pipeline now continuing unabated by federal interference, Midwesterners can look forward to this project finally becoming operational and delivering the energy resources that keep our country energy independent.”

Andy Peterson, President, North Dakota Chamber of Commerce stated, “The pragmatic steps taken by the Trump Administration to ensure completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline are the right decisions for North Dakota businesses. Investment in our resources and infrastructure ensures long term prosperity for our state and the many businesses that support the energy industry. ”

Ron Ness, President, North Dakota Petroleum Council said, “For over half a year North Dakotans have felt the burden of an uncertain future and a lack of decisive action from Washington. We applaud President Trump’s vision for an energy producing, energy independent America that includes sensible investment in our pipeline infrastructure.”

Mike Ralston, President of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry stated, “Since President Trump voiced his support for the project many years ago, ABI and its members were confident that Dakota Access would successfully complete the construction process – and today’s announcement is a crucial step in achieving that goal.”

Dawna Leitzke, Executive Director, South Dakota Petroleum and Propane Marketers Association said, “The South Dakota Petroleum and Propane Marketers Association has long recognized the importance of the Dakota Access Pipeline in meeting regional demand for domestically-produced crude oil. President Trump’s timely Executive Order to move the project forward will fulfill that goal…”

Chad Carter, IUOE Local 234 said, “Thousands of IUOE members worked tirelessly to ensure that the Dakota Access Pipeline was constructed safely and efficiently. While these men and women were disheartened by delays in the pipeline’s completion, today’s decision by the Trump administration restored their confidence in the due process of law.”

Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order on the Dakota Access Pipeline

MAIN Coalition spokesman Craig Stevens issued the following statement following President Trump’s signing of an executive order directing the federal government to expedite the issuance of the final, already approved, easement for the Dakota Access pipeline:

“We applaud and appreciate President Trump’s immediate and decisive action to expedite the final easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline. President Trump’s decision shows businesses that the rule of law will be respected and demonstrates an affirmation of regulatory certitude to those looking to invest in America.

“The 1,172-mile project has been fully approved by four states and the federal government for months and is more than 95 percent complete at a cost of about $3.5 billion so far. Once operational, it will be among the safest, most technologically advanced pipelines in the world, delivering more than 450,000 barrels of light sweet crude oil per day in an environmentally sensitive and cost effective manner.”

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Statement on President Trump’s Expected Approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline

MAIN Coalition spokesman Craig Stevens issued the following statement in response to news that President Trump will sign an executive order allowing the Dakota Access Pipeline to move forward:

“We are hopeful and optimistic that President Trump will issue the final easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline and allow Keystone to move forward. It will not only be a positive development for these two projects but also for our nation’s resource development and energy infrastructure as a whole.”

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