Continued Pipeline Progress, Final Dakota Access Approval Granted

Last week, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that it had completed the review of the 1,172-mile Dakota Access Pipeline oil project that had triggered months of protests from Native American tribes and environmentalists. By approving the easement, the Administration has cleared the way for the pipeline to be completed.

The action follows President Trump’s January 27 release of two memorandums to advance approval of the Keystone XL (KXL) and Dakota Access pipelines. PMAA was disappointed with President Obama’s halt of construction on the pipeline and order for further environmental review late last year, as well as his November 2015 decision to veto TransCanada Corp's KXL pipeline.

PMAA strongly supports development of Energy Transfer Partners LP's Dakota Access pipeline, which would run from North Dakota to Illinois and would bring crude oil through the Midwest and into the U.S. Gulf Coast. PMAA also strongly supports development of the KXL pipeline which has already had more than seven years of debate and multiple environmental impact studies that have shown the pipeline would have no effect on climate change.

Like the Keystone XL pipeline, Dakota Access has become a symbol of environmental opposition to fossil fuel infrastructure. Approval of the Dakota Access pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline is indicative of how the new Administration will take a much needed and drastically different approach to energy issues.