Majority of Iowa Easements Secured According To Dakota Access

Chuck Frey, in his testimony at the IUB evidentiary hearing, provided an update on the status of land easements needed to route the Dakota Access Pipeline through Iowa. According to the latest tally, the company has acquired 74.9% of all easements needed in the state. The Des Moines Register noted, “additional easements are still being secured through negotiations on almost a daily basis.”

As Mr. Frey has emphasized, the company is committed to working with landowners to sign as many voluntary easements as possible, and has negotiated several accommodations for affected landowners. Earlier testimony from ETP representative Monica Howard and Duraroot representative Aaron Dejoia outlined specific ways that the company has committed to working with landowners. Ms. Howard spoke at length on the company’s commitment to protecting environmentally sensitive areas, while Mr. Dejoia described the efforts to ensure that landowners have their soil restored as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The MAIN Coalition is encouraged by the overwhelming support from landowners that Dakota Access has secured and is looking forward to seeing the results of further voluntary easements, which will continue to be negotiated throughout the process.

Dakota Access Speaks On Safety Standards Enforcement

As the IUB evidentiary hearing entered its second week of witness testimony, Chuck Frey, the VP of Engineering at Energy Transfer Partners, took the stand to inform the IUB of the safety and engineering criteria that Dakota Access Pipeline will use to build the line.

Mr. Frey shared that Dakota Access would be built to meet or exceed existing regulations and statutes to ensure that the pipeline serves as a benefit to the Midwest, in the way it was envisioned.

Dakota Access has voluntarily committed itself to building the pipeline in a way that maintains a degree of separation between pipe and drain tiles at 12 times the amount required by law. William Petroski from The Des Moines Register explains:

Dakota Access has promised that in Iowa farm fields, the pipeline will be buried by a minimum of 48 inches of dirt and crops can be planted on top. In addition, farm drainage tiles will be crossed with a minimum of 24 inches of separation between the pipe and the drain tile, which exceeds federal requirements, Frey said.

Mr. Frey also described the rigorous testing that all pipeline segments would have to go through before being operational. All segments are to be inspected at the mill in which they were made, and all welds will be x-ray tested. Pipeline segments will be pressure tested using water, at an operating pressure that significantly exceeds operating pressures – one and a quarter times the anticipated operating pressure. Stacey Gerard, formerly of PHSMA, testified last week that Dakota Access has opted to choose an operating pressure lower than the one usually prescribed to pipelines of that size.

Energy infrastructure projects should be constructed responsibly in order to bring maximum benefits to our region. The MAIN Coalition is encouraged by the commitment that Dakota Access has shown to the safety of Midwestern land and the people.

Dakota Access Pipeline Maintains Commitment To Land Restoration

One of the most important aspects of pipeline construction is mitigating the impacts of removing soil from agricultural land.  In a state like Iowa, where agriculture and agriculture-related industry dominates the economy, it becomes even more crucial. That’s why the Dakota Access Pipeline has contracted leading land impact, mitigation consultants, Key Ag Services and Duraroot, to craft plans for construction and operation that will minimize the impact on farm operations all along the pipeline route.

All plans for the pipeline are expected to, at minimum, meet federal and state requirements for mitigating land impacts, but in many cases Dakota Access Pipeline has implemented construction plans to exceed these regulations. From soil conservation, to stream crossings, and extensive environmental analysis, the critical protection of our environment is a must for all infrastructure development, and we believe that Dakota Access has sufficiently met these challenges.

Dakota Access Talks Safety at IUB

For most of the morning, Todd Stamm of Sunoco Logistics, testified to the Iowa Utilities Board the importance of safety in a project like the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Among the many components built into the pipeline’s safety apparatus including remote shut offs, in-line inspections through the newest generation of pigs, and pressure and temperature sensors. Additionally, the pipeline will be inspected on a weekly basis from the air, accompanied by on the ground inspectors. This is to ensure the integrity of the line, as well as the safety of residences and farmland the pipeline traverses.

Dakota Access has made safety the number one priority for operating the line. As a responsible owner, Dakota Access deserves the IUB’s full support for the Dakota Access Pipeline project.

Pipelines shown to help reduce need for alternate oil transportation in North Dakota

As the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) evidentiary hearing entered its second day, several expert witnesses, including grain analyst Elaine Kub and former Energy Information Administration (EIA) Administrator Guy Caruso, stressed the vital role that Dakota Access would play in increasing the efficiency of the transportation networks in Iowa and the Midwest in general. Shifting the responsibility of transporting a significant amount of oil away from railroads and trucks would create opportunities for other items to utilize these vital transportation options, such as grain and other agricultural products.

Evidence that pipelines create these kinds of efficiencies was reported in this morning’s press in North Dakota. Amy Dalrymple, a prominent reporter in the state, wrote an article describing the shift of crude oil away from truck-based transportation and towards a steadily expanding web of gathering pipelines. The article states:

 More oil is now gathered by pipeline than truck in western North Dakota, taking pressure off Oil Patch communities faced with congestion, traffic fatalities and dust.

“New figures from the North Dakota Pipeline Authority show that for the first time in several years, more oil is leaving well sites by pipeline, and that trend is expected to continue, Director Justin Kringstad said.

“We’ve seen some significant progress in the major counties in western North Dakota getting crude off the roadways and into gathering pipeline systems,” Kringstad said.

The article noted that all but one county has seen a reduction of oil traffic on their roadways, and North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad reiterated that, “there’s a lot of advantages that we see in getting these fluids off the roadways and into a pipeline.”

Amy Dalrymple also stated that the oil in these gathering lines was carried to transmission lines or rail hubs in anticipation for transport. Projects like Dakota Access however, can and will ensure that the process is streamlined further, allowing more trucks and trains to be used for other vital purposes throughout the region.

Read the full article here.

‘No net loss of wetlands’ because of Bakken pipeline, official says

2:55 p.m.:  Monica Howard, director of environmental services for Energy Transfer Partners, is testifying. She has told state regulators there would be “no net loss of wetlands” as a result of the proposed Bakken pipeline and there will be “very robust” post-construction monitoring to ensure restoration of lands in Iowa where the pipeline is constructed.

“There is no anticipated long-term effect” on water quality and fish communities, Howard said. She added, “We are going above and beyond regulation” in protecting the environment.

Some rivers will be crossed using horizontal directional drilling, while in other cases there will be an “open cut” or a ditch dug across streams and other waterways, Howard said. Such areas would be isolated with dams and would be restored after the pipe is installed. The environmental impacts from such crossings are “extremely miniscule,” she said.

BOONE, Ia. – Increased railroad shipments of North Dakota crude oil have made it more difficult to ship grain by rail, which is costing farmers money in the Upper Midwest, a commodity market analyst told the Iowa Utilities Board Tuesday.

Analyst Elaine  Kub testified the construction of oil pipelines such as the proposed Bakken pipeline through Iowa would help ease rail traffic congestion, freeing up the railroad industry to carry shipments of commodities such as corn and soybeans.

Kub spoke on the third day of proceedings by  Iowa utility regulators to consider a request for a state permit to construct the Bakken oil pipeline, which has been proposed by Dakota Access, LLC, a unit of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners. The pipeline would carry about 450,000 barrels of oil daily from North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa to a distribution hub at Patoka, Ill.

“If there are 450,000 barrels a day on this pipeline, there are 450,000  barrels a day less on the rail….All things being equal, the price of freight would be lower,” Kub said.

Kub authored a study for the American Farm Bureau Federation which concluded that grain producers in Upper Midwest states – Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana – have  been negatively affected by dramatic increases in shipments of North Dakota crude oil via railroad. Between 2009 and 2013, the amount of oil moving by rail in the U.S. spiked from about 10,000 cars to about 400,000 cars annually, creating gridlock at times for grain shippers seeking access to rail freight.

“I would say that Iowa has been affected” as well, Kub said. She added, “If we take oil off of rail lines, that will also have an effect.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated that grain producers throughout the Upper Midwest may have received $570 million less for the crops they marketed in 2014 than they could have earned in a normal freight environment because of congested rail traffic.  Iowa’s agriculture industry is less reliant on railroads to ship grain  than some other states because much of Iowa’s grain is trucked to ethanol plants or to the Mississippi River to be transported by barges. But Kub said all grain shippers using rail would benefit by an easing of rail freight congestion.

The Iowa Utilities Board plans to hear from witnesses for and against the pipeline project in proceedings at the Boone County Fairgrounds that are scheduled to continue into early December. The board is expected to make a decision on the pipeline permit sometime in December or early January.

Information about live video streaming of the public hearing is available on the Iowa Utilities Board website.

South Dakota News Article Highlights Safety, Agricultural Impact Mitigation for Dakota Access Pipeline

South Dakota landowners recently gave their opinions on the Dakota Access Pipeline to the Aberdeen News which gained some traction in national oil press.

One landowner, Perry Schmidt from Spink County said that the project would “free up transportation for grain” and that pipelines are “the safest way to transport oil.” Schmidt also expressed confidence in the safety of the pipeline. “I’m not too worried about crude oil leaking into my land,” Schmidt said. “The valve is just north of me on my mother’s land. It’ll be a permanent easement above ground.”

Additionally, Energy Transfer has been working with local residents and jurisdictions to address concerns regarding drinking water supplies in the southeastern part of South Dakota. Dakota Access Vice President for Engineering Joey Mahmoud said “we are working with the water districts to lower and move their pipes and to actually case those pipes to add added mitigation and protection just to ensure that if there was a situation, that we would not contaminate the water supply.” He stated the company would go above and beyond current requirements to prevent drinking water from being affected by a spill or crude oil within the pipes.

Dakota Access Pipeline representatives have repeatedly committed to meeting or exceeding safety standards as well as mitigating environmental impacts throughout the course of public hearings in South Dakota, as well as other states along the proposed route.

Commitment to the safe transportation of energy resources is paramount to building a good relationship with the communities where pipelines operate. Dakota Access has indeed shown that commitment throughout the course of multiple public hearings, addressing rural and urban concerns alike. Because of the commitment to safety, many in South Dakota agree that constructing the pipeline will provide many benefits to South Dakota, including alleviating the rail congestion that has plagued the state since the start of the Bakken oil boom.

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission decision to issue a permit for the pipeline is due by Dec. 15, but the commission has announced it will make a decision at a special meeting on Nov. 30.

GUEST BLOG: Pipeline Jobs are Sustainable Careers

“Temporary jobs” is a term that some people use to demean the work that many of our members perform for most of their lives. Though constructing a pipeline is a job that doesn’t require an office or a fixed location for our workers, it’s projects like these that are the bedrock of a career for operators. Our careers support our families. Projects like the Dakota Access Pipeline don’t just involve laying pipe in the ground; in fact they support thousands of workers throughout the supply chain.  From rolling the steel, to manufacturing the heavy equipment, this project provides opportunity both at the job site and in communities across Iowa.

Characterizing pipeline jobs as temporary is no different than saying that home builders or consultants have unsustainable long-term careers. Like many professions, job sites and clients change on regular basis, but this does not in any way undercut the value or necessity of the work being performed. There’s nothing temporary about the long term opportunities that the Dakota Access Pipeline will provide Iowa’s workers.

Chad Carter is the Vice President, Business Representative, of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 234.

Pipelines now outpacing trucks for gathering Bakken oil

More oil is now gathered by pipeline than truck in western North Dakota, taking pressure off Oil Patch communities faced with congestion, traffic fatalities and dust.

New figures from the North Dakota Pipeline Authority show that for the first time in several years, more oil is leaving well sites by pipeline, and that trend is expected to continue, Director Justin Kringstad said.

“We’ve seen some significant progress in the major counties in western North Dakota getting crude off the roadways and into gathering pipeline systems,” Kringstad said.

An estimated 441,644 barrels of oil left well sites by truck each day in April, while 725,743 barrels per day were transported by gathering pipelines to either a transmission pipeline or a rail-loading terminal, Kringstad said, using the most recent figures available.

All counties saw a reduction in oil truck traffic in 2015, with the exception of McKenzie County, which still had an average of 892 oil truckloads each day in April.

“We’ll likely see that turn the corner here in the next year or so,” Kringstad said.

McKenzie County, the state’s busiest oil county, saw significant growth with pipelines between 2012 and this year, but not enough to keep up with the growth in oil production.

“We’re still behind the eight ball on pipelines,” County Commissioner Ron Anderson said.

McKenzie County, which leads the state in traffic fatalities, has budgeted nearly $25 million this year to maintain gravel roads and bridges heavily traveled by oil traffic.

Kringstad said he expects pipeline growth to continue, further reducing the amount trucked, improving the safety of the roads and reducing complaints from residents about dust. Pipelines also ease operations for oil companies by eliminating the need for trucks during a blizzard or spring load restrictions, he added.

“There’s a lot of advantages that we see in getting these fluids off the roadways and into a pipeline,” Kringstad said.

Williams County, which had an average of 362 oil truckloads per day in April, also saw a significant shift from trucks to gathering pipelines from 2012 to 2015.

Williams County Highway Superintendent Dennis Nelson said while he’s noticed some reduction in truck traffic in the county that includes Williston, it hasn’t slowed down the need for road maintenance.

“The roads have gotten abused in the last few years, terribly, and we only have so many dollars to fix with, so we do what we can and go from there,” Nelson said.

Iowa Uses Refined Petroleum Products for the Benefit of America

During the examination of witnesses at today’s session of the IUB public hearing, it was mentioned that Iowa occupies a rather unique position when it comes to energy consumption.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Iowa ranks very high in its consumption of energy per capita. In 2013, it was the 5th most energy-intensive state in the nation.

This is not surprising, since Iowa has several energy-intensive industries within its borders. Agriculture, food production, and food processing requires a vast amount of refined petroleum products in order to keep machinery running, and to make sure that Americans can enjoy the important foods they love. Likewise, Iowa’s manufacturing industry, which has proven invaluable to the American economy, uses a significant amount of fuel.

Given that Iowa does not produce any of its own petroleum, all of this energy comes from outside of the state. Investments such as Dakota Access will lower the cost of transporting this valuable resource to refineries, where it is turned into diesel fuel, gasoline, and other products which are necessary to power Iowa’s biggest industries.