Residents in North Dakota are calling on the state Public Services Commission (PSC) to approve the Dakota Access Pipeline. In a letter to the editor published in the Dickinson Press, author Evan Whiteford emphasizes the fact that falling oil prices by no means lessen the need for energy infrastructure in our region.
“Despite the fact that prices currently are down, we still see interest in investing in our state’s energy infrastructure. One example is the Dakota Access Pipeline that will connect the Bakken oilfields with production facilities in Illinois. Investors still want to build this multibillion-dollar project, and our state needs to take quick action to approve it,” Whiteford says.
Furthermore, the sooner this project is approved, the sooner we can put thousands of people to work and begin realizing the countless economic benefits this project will deliver. Approval by the PSC means “means putting 2,000 to 4,000 people to work in North Dakota,” according to Whiteford, adding that, “These will be good union jobs that will contribute to our tax base, schools, shops and communities.”
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission and the Illinois Commerce Commission approved the project last December.