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As the Iowa Utilities Board continues to review the application for the Dakota Access Pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners recently announced that 85% of the easements necessary to construct the project have been signed. In a press release the company stated:

The Dakota Access Pipeline Project continues to finalize its construction plans and secure the necessary land easements in preparation to begin construction of the 1,168-mile crude oil pipeline. The permit approved last week by the North Dakota Public Service Commission brings the total to three of the four states crossed by the pipeline authorizing it to move forward.  The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission and the Illinois Commerce Commission have also approved Dakota Access’ permit applications. The Iowa Utilities Board continues to review Dakota Access’ application having announced a working session scheduled for early February. Construction of the pipeline is projected to begin in 2016 upon approval of all required applications and permits.

Dakota Access has signed voluntary easement agreements with landowners representing more than 85 percent of the properties along the four-state route.  Currently, 89 percent of the properties in North Dakota, 92 percent in South Dakota, 78 percent in Iowa and 87 percent in Illinois have been signed. Project representatives will continue easement negotiations with landowners during the coming months.

Once work is cleared to start, the Dakota Access Pipeline can be operational by the fourth quarter of 2017. Between 8,000 and 12,000 union workers are expected to be employed on the project.

Read the entire press release here.

The idea that infrastructure investment benefits not only the people working on specific construction projects, but the economy at large is widely accepted. Energy infrastructure projects are no different. The National Association of Manufacturers commissioned a study which found that crude oil pipelines contributed $31.4 billion to the country’s GDP and that more than 66 different manufacturing subsectors, benefited from the construction of crude oil pipelines by $10 million or more in 2015.

As a multi-billion dollar investment, the Dakota Access Pipeline would create similar benefits for the Midwest region. In a recent column in the Argus Leader, Operating Engineers member Will Thomssen summed up the correlation between the economic effects of past pipeline projects, and DAPL’s potential impact on the region:

The NAM study also showed that crude oil pipelines created over 276,000 jobs thanks to their construction and operation. At the same time, projects like Dakota Access will serve as job creators in our state with 2,000-4,000 well-paying jobs here in South Dakota. In addition, the parts and materials needed to support the project will largely come from America’s manufacturers, ensuring that the pipeline fuels economic growth well outside of the energy industry itself.

The Dakota Access Pipeline has been approved by the utility boards of three of the four states along the route. The pipeline is expected to be functional in the fourth quarter of 2016, if approved.

Influential North Dakota blog site Say Anything Blog published an article regarding yesterday’s vote to approve the Dakota Access Pipeline, calling the project “a sign of hope.” The blog asserts:

As important as the Keystone XL pipeline was, and still is, to North Dakota’s energy infrastructure needs the Dakota Access pipeline is even more so. While the Keystone line originates in Canada, the Dakota Access line would start in North Dakota near Stanley (…) Meaning this project isn’t about oil production anywhere but in North Dakota.

The investment in the regional energy infrastructure is going full steam ahead despite the tough economic conditions that have set in recently for the state’s energy industry. Foreign nations have kept their oil production at uneconomical levels in order to force the United States to abandon its march towards energy independence. Despite that, the Dakota Access Pipeline is going ahead, confident in the region’s ability to persevere through the storm and to be a driver of America’s economy.

Read the full text of the article here.

In a major step to modernize the Bakken region’s energy infrastructure, the North Dakota Public Service Commission voted unanimously to approve the permit for the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Stakeholders across the state, including business and landowners, reacted positively to the Commission’s announcement.

Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council stated that “the North Dakota Petroleum Council applauds the decision of the Public Service Commission to approve the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. This is a critical piece of infrastructure that will allow safe, efficient and consistent movement of Bakken oil to key markets along the east coast and the Gulf of Mexico, helping diversify the supply of domestic oil to displace foreign oil.”

Scott Meske, president of the Williston Area Chamber of Commerce applauded the decision and emphasized the positive effect the project will have on the city’s economy. “Energy infrastructure investment is crucial for our state to continue to grow its economy and the Dakota Access Pipeline is an investment that will be felt in Williston, and throughout North Dakota and the Upper Midwest,” Meske said.

Roger Kaseman, a landowner living in Emmons County, commended the Public Service Commission for their thorough review.  “I believe in a strong domestic energy sector, and am confident that the Dakota Access Pipeline will help keep Bakken oil competitive. Investments such as the Dakota Access Pipeline create the jobs, revenues, and opportunities that are so essential to maintain the prosperity and economic progress that we have achieved in our state over the last decade,” Kaseman stated.

“The MAIN Coalition is pleased to hear that the North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved the permit application for the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline,” commented coalition Chairman Ed Wiederstein. “The MAIN Coalition appreciates the attention given to this critical investment and thank all of our allies for their unwavering commitment. Pipelines are the safest, most efficient way of transporting our energy resources and their further expansion is essential to America’s success for generations to come.”

Today, the North Dakota Public Service Commission approved the permit application for construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The decision to approve the project marks a significant step forward in completing this critical energy infrastructure investment.

Once constructed, the Dakota Access Pipeline will provide a safe, efficient means for transporting energy resources to markets across the Midwest and the nation. North Dakotans will benefit from a reliable supply of affordable, domestic energy that will undoubtedly contribute to substantial savings for generations to come.

For years America has relied on oil imported from conflict-ridden areas of the world that often challenge American values. The unprecedented growth of the Bakken has played a key role in easing our dependence on foreign oil, but we need the necessary infrastructure to fully realize the benefit of this important resource.

The approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline permit application in North Dakota allows us to benefit from the safety and security of proven pipeline technology and the valuable resources it will carry.

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.

Last week, Chris Jundt, president of Envision Natural Resources, Inc., published an opinion piece in the Dickinson Press emphasizing the importance of the Dakota Access Pipeline and urging the North Dakota Public Service Commission to take the necessary steps to approve the project. “I urge the PSC to get through the approval process like Illinois and South Dakota have so the hundreds of workers who will build this pipeline can roll up their sleeves and get to work.” Jundt said.

Jundt, who has been involved in the pipeline business for more than 33 years, goes on to commend Dakota Access for its demonstrated commitment to landowners and communities along the pipeline’s route. “Ensuring that landowner concerns are respected has been embedded in the operating principles of Dakota Access from the outset, and continue to drive easement negotiations today, Jundt wrote adding that, “The company’s pipeline constructors will work extensively to ensure minimal impacts to the land by isolating fueling equipment or storing the fuels outside sensitive environmental areas to avoid spills, working with low weight-bearing equipment and separating the top soil from the subsoil to protect the land — our most precious resource.”

Furthermore, Jundt highlights millions of dollars in increased tax revenues the project will bring to North Dakota, saying that, “Dakota Access will pay an estimated $32.9 million in sales tax revenue to North Dakota during construction. Once operational, the pipeline will make an annual property tax payment to the traversed North Dakota counties each year in service. The estimated property tax to be paid in North Dakota in its first year in operation is $13.1 million.”

The Dakota Access Pipeline project has already received approval in both South Dakota and Illinois, it is time for Iowa and North Dakota to follow suit and issue the necessary permits for this important infrastructure project.

In a recent letter to the editor published in the Keokuk Daily Gate City Patrick Poepping of Quincy, Ill emphasized the need for U.S. energy independence and praised the Illinois Commerce Commission’s decision to approve the Dakota Access Pipeline.

“It is important that pipelines of this nature be constructed if we are to maintain our competitive position in today’s world,” Poepping said, adding that, “This project has the potential to make the United States decrease our dependency on foreign oil. Without a doubt, the ICC made the correct decision regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline.”

Furthermore, Poepping points out that our current system of transporting crude oil by rail is not a long-term solution for shipping our resources. “The Dakota Access Pipeline gives us a safer, faster, and overall more reliable way to transport this domestic oil,” he says.

Increased turmoil in the Middle East has only intensified our nation’s need to relieve its long-held addiction to foreign oil. We have a plethora of domestic energy resources right here in the Unites States, but like Mr. Poepping said, we do not have adequate infrastructure to meet today’s needs. Pipeline projects like Dakota Access are essential to further capitalizing on our own resources and alleviating the need for foreign imports.

Chad Carter, an operating engineer with years of experience working on various construction sites, knows a thing or two about the kind of men and women that large pipeline infrastructure projects such as Dakota Access require to be constructed successfully. The vice president of IUOE Local 234, based in Des Moines, wrote a column in The Des Moines Register explaining to the public the expertise of the men and women working on pipelines.

Although it may seem simple, constructing a pipeline is in fact a highly complex process that requires a wide-array of skills and expertise. Operators like myself across all the trades regularly participate in specialized training programs that allow us to employ modern technologies and work practices that often exceed state and federal requirements. (…) Our workforce is not new to pipeline construction and collectively has built thousands of miles of critical energy infrastructure across Iowa and the United States.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is slated to create between 2,000 and 4,000 jobs in Iowa during its construction. The company proposing the project has agreed to give half of those jobs to local union halls along the route, ensuring that local communities benefit from this project.

Read the full column here.