On Friday, the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) approved Dakota Access’s permit application following an extensive review.
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IUB Delay Tactics Threaten to Disrupt Agricultural Cycle
A recent letter to the editor published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette highlighted a sense of growing concern over a decision by the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) not to grant a full construction permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline. “I am concerned by the news that the Iowa Utilities Board has made a decision to not grant a full construction permit yet, but instead an order that is reliant upon more bureaucracy, more permitting and more time,” wrote Cedar Rapids resident Troy Henle. “These extraneous conditions only serve to delay the project, which is ready to start moving forward to help minimize the impact to the surrounding communities.”
Read MoreND schools trust fund receives $600,000 from Dakota Access easement
The state of North Dakota received about $600,000 Thursday from the Dakota Access Pipeline in compensation for crossing 4½ miles of land owned by the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands.
The Board of University and School Lands unanimously approved easements Thursday for the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross tracts of trust land in McKenzie, Williams and Mountrail counties.
The terms of the agreement included payment of $425 per rod (there are 320 rods in a mile) or a little more than $600,000 total, which was in line with what private landowners in the area received, said State Land Commissioner Lance Gaebe.
Read MorePipeline Brings Business to Keokuk
With the Iowa Utilities Board recent approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline, preparations are already underway that are already leading to benefits for many of Iowa’s communities.
A recent article in the Daily Gate City states that Lee County’s Keokuk has seen an uptick in demand for rooms and property rentals thanks to the pipeline, according to Kirk Brandenberger, executive director of the Keokuk Convention and Tourism Bureau.
Read MorePipeline could boost rental market
Keokuk’s tourism director believes the Bakken oil pipeline could result in positives for Keokuk, despite some residents’ opposition to the project.
He bases his observations/hopes on the impact of a temporary housing boom that’s been on going since construction started on the Iowa fertilizer plant in Wever.
“It’s been tremendous, what it meant to us,” said Kirk Brandenberger, executive director of the Keokuk Convention and Tourism Bureau. “We didn’t get a ton of workers, but it forced (travelers) to look for a room in a wider radius.”
Read MoreSupplies for pipeline installation begin to arrive
As a prelude to construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline project, builder Energy Transfer Partners has begun stockpiling what are called mats, used in the pipeline industry as well as others.
The stack is steadily growing larger at a leased site at the West Industrial Park. At first glance or from a distance, they may resemble railroad ties, until one realizes these are 16 to 18 feet long.
The mats are laminated hardwood planks that are bolted together, and then rolled out in the field as a driving surface to prevent heavy equipment from destroying the ground beneath.
Dakota Access is a new underground crude oil pipeline that will transport 450,000 barrels of crude oil daily from the Bakken/Three Forks formations in western North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa and to a terminus in Patoka, Ill.
Semi trucks bringing the mats to Huron — one of three operational bases being established in South Dakota — are being kept off residential streets. Instead, they are directed to the stockpile site via the west truck route.
It is keeping the trucks with their heavy loads off residential roads so they are not torn up.
Read MorePipeline Connecting With Dakota Access Approved in North Dakota
Yesterday, North Dakota’s Public Service Commission approved two pipelines, one of which would connect with the Dakota Access Pipeline, in a move seeking to increase the efficiency of moving Bakken oil. The Wild Basin to Johnsons Corner Pipeline will be approximately 19 miles long, and would deliver 50,000 to 75,000 barrels of crude oil each day for the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Read MoreLake Co. Commission approves permits for Dakota Access pipeline
The Lake County Commission approved boring permits and access points for the Dakota Access pipeline in the county. Highway Superintendent Dave Fedeler told county commissioners Tuesday that Dakota Access is requesting boring permits for roads in seven different locations in the county.
Read MoreMAIN Coalition Chairman on WNAX: IUB Pipeline Approval the “Right Decision”
Following the unanimous decision of the Iowa Utilities Board to approve the Dakota Acccess Pipeline, MAIN Coalition Chairman appeared on Yankton, SD-based radio station WNAX to comment on the decision.
Read MoreAlliance Leader Says IUB Pipeline Approval the Right Decision
The leader of the Midwest Alliance for Infrastructure Now says the Iowa Utilities Board made the proper decision approving the permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline. Ed Wiederstein says the approval was based on the fact Energy Transfer Partners was able to get easements from enough farmers to move ahead following the regulatory process.
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