Delaying Dakota Access Pipeline Has Consequences for Working People

Delaying decisions has become an often-used tactic by those opposing the modernization and expansion of our energy infrastructure network. However, instituting artificial delays on projects can have serious unintended consequences.

The Midwest has a rapidly growing and diversifying economy. While the agriculture sector remains a powerhouse, other industries have migrated to our region with companies both large and small deciding to invest here. Allowing regulatory decisions to be made by factors outside of what is written into law introduces uncertainty, which scares away investment and job growth.

As the Iowa utilities Board continues to review the application of the Dakota Access Pipeline, we urge the board members to review the application based on the facts. The evidence shows that there is both a need and a benefit for and from this kind of project. Approving this project is in the best interest of Iowa and the Midwest.

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Low Oil Prices Benefiting Everyday Americans

Everyday Americans across the country are benefiting from low-cost energy with the average price for a gallon of gasoline hovering around $1.75 and natural gas prices falling to historic lows. In fact, data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that households are spending less today on energy goods and services than almost any point in recent history.

In January, energy expenditures fell to less than 4 percent of total consumer spending, a sharp drop from only a few years ago. Consumers don’t just feel the effect of cheap energy at the gas station, the decrease in prices also translates to falling prices for consumer goods and services.

US Energy Has OPEC on Its Heels

US Energy Has OPEC on Its Heels

On Monday the International Energy Agency indicated that total US crude output will increase by 1.3 million barrels a day from 2015 to 2021 despite a continued slump in oil prices. US shale output is currently decreasing and is expected to decrease in 2017, but is then expected to increase production once again from 2018 onward. In its medium term report, the IAE stated ‘anybody who believes that we have seen the last of rising US shale oil production should think again.’

Dakota Access Already Generating Benefits for Illinois
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Dakota Access Already Generating Benefits for Illinois

Even before the first pipe segments are laid into the ground, the Dakota Access Pipeline’s investments are already generating benefits for businesses in the states along the route, opines a recent column in the Springfield, IL-based State Journal-Register. Bill Fleischli, the executive vice president of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association points out that the benefits to the regional supply chain can already be felt.

Williston’s Best Days are Ahead

Williston was once a sleepy town tucked away in the western part of North Dakota. Thanks to an abundance of natural resources, it became the epicenter of the Midwestern oil boom. Williston and the surrounding areas offered Americans workers a real shot at the American dream, where people with a high school diploma could make six figure salaries with the proper training and a commitment to work hard. In a recent blog post published by Bakken Backers, Shawn Wenko, executive director of Williston Economic Development expressed confidence that those days would be back.

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Register Op-Ed: It’s time for IUB to Approve DAPL

Mike Ralston of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and Bill Gerhard of the Iowa State Building and Constructions Trade Council represent an interesting partnership. While one man speaks for Iowa’s businesses and the other represents thousands of working men and women, respectively, they both agree upon the economic benefits of energy infrastructure expansion and modernization. Published in The Des Moines Register, their joint op-ed highlights the benefits of the Dakota Access Pipeline for the stakeholders they represent, as well as the public at large.

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Pipeline Training Video Highlights Commitment to Safety, Benefits to Local Men and Women

Time spent in a classroom is more than just learning rote facts, it represents an investment in one’s future. Such is the message of a pipeline safety training overview published by LiUNA Local 92. As the video shows, a chance to work on pipelines is never just a temporary job. Pipeline work is a career, and for some, a second chance at achieving a better future.

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Dakota Access Keeps Midwestern Oil Competitive

During today’s hearing of the Iowa Utilities Board, Board Member Nick Wagner stated that demand drives the extraction of energy and that the Dakota Access Pipeline will not influence demand or production of oil.

While Board Member Wagner is correct in stating that demand drives production of oil, regardless of the infrastructure in place, it is important to remember that oil extracted from North Dakota, or even the United States, has to compete against oil derived from other parts of the world. According to estimates, a pipeline reduces transportation costs of oil by anywhere between $5 and $10 a barrel. These are savings that help make oil fields such as the one in North Dakota more competitive against foreign oil.

We urge the Iowa Utilities Board to take the savings that a pipeline such as Dakota Access into account when making their decision on granting the necessary permits for its construction.

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Column: Dakota Access Pipeline offers economic benefits to Iowa

With at least 50% of the workers on the project being sourced from the communities around the pipeline route, it is clear that the economic potential of the Dakota Access Pipeline should be a significant factor in the decision of the Iowa Utilities Board. Creating a safe and modern energy infrastructure also generates economic opportunity, and that is something that the IUB should consider.

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