Earlier this week, the governors of Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to adhere to the regulatory process and issue the final easement necessary to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline.
In the Oct. 25 letter, the three governors highlighted that more than 96 percent of the 1,172 mile infrastructure project has already been thoroughly vetted and approved by state utility regulators. Furthermore, the governors noted that Dakota Access has satisfied all of the established federal requirements needed to move forward.
“As governors of three states which the Dakota Access Pipeline route crosses – Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota we write to you today to ask the United States Army Corps of Engineers to adhere to the process which was in place when this project began as you make the decision to issue the final federal easement required for the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross the Missouri River in North Dakota,” the governors wrote
They went on to caution that further delays will likely result in negative impacts to their states and the region. “Construction delays will negatively impact landowners and farmers who will risk having multiple growing seasons impacted by construction activities,” they wrote. It is in the best interest of all parties to mitigate any further negative impacts.”
The letter—signed by Govs. Terry E. Branstad of Iowa, Jack Dalrymple of North Dakota, and Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota—is the latest of in a series of recent high-profile calls for the Army Corps and the Obama administration to allow this critical infrastructure project to be completed.