North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum sent The Crude Life the following statement after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers‘ decision to allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to continue operations while an environmental impact statement (EIS) is completed.
“The Army Corps of Engineers made the right decision today to allow additional time for consultation as requested by MHA Nation and North Dakota’s attorney general before any major decisions are made affecting operation of the Dakota Access Pipeline,” Burgum said. “Shutting down this pipeline would put the environment and public safety at greater risk by forcing oil transportation to trucks and rail and would have a devastating effect on our state’s and MHA Nation’s economy, sapping hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from producers, mineral owners, schools and state, tribal and local governments. It also would send a dangerous signal to the capital formation needed to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure by demonstrating that legally permitted and completed essential infrastructure can be shut down after years of safe operation. This state-of-the-art pipeline is critical to North Dakota’s energy industry and our nation’s energy independence and security, and the Corps should be allowed to complete its consultation without court intervention.”
In a letter in February, Burgum urged the Army Corps of Engineers to allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to continue operating during the EIS review, noting that shuttering the safely operating pipeline would weaken U.S. energy security, create more competition for rail access for farmers, add unnecessary risk for motorists and the environment by putting more truck traffic on roads.
US Senator John Hoeven sent The Crude Life the following statement after a U.S. District Court hearing today on the Dakota Access Pipeline:
“The Dakota Access Pipeline is vital infrastructure that provides tremendous energy and economic benefits for our state and nation. DAPL has safely operated for nearly four years, providing essential access to market for Bakken crude, including substantial oil production from the Fort Berthold Reservation and the Three Affiliated Tribes. DAPL is key in ensuring our nation’s energy security, which is vital to our national security, and that’s why it should stay in operation. Pipelines are one of the safest forms of transportation for oil, and this pipeline was built and operated in good faith under the Army Corps’ permitting process. The Corps needs to promptly complete this additional review, and the Court should not rule until meaningful consultation occurs with the Three Affiliated Tribes and the State of North Dakota.”
House Energy and Commerce Committee member Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) spoke at a forum on the Keystone XL pipeline and the effect its cancelation by President Joe Biden has on American jobs and the environment. Watch live here.
Excerpts and highlights from his prepared remarks:
Ending Keystone XL Means Less Jobs and Revenue
“When President Biden revoked the Presidential Permit for Keystone XL earlier this year, he put thousands out of work and inflicted substantial damage to countless communities along the route of the pipeline.
“It’s not just those that work directly on the pipeline. It’s lost income for waiters in local restaurants. It’s lost jobs for contractors slated to service the project. It’s lost business for the mom-and-pop stores in nearly every small town along the pipeline.
“And it’s lost revenue for local governments that were slated to receive millions in taxes due to the project.”
Keystone XL Benefits the Environment
“All of this begs the question of why?
“We know there is demand in the global marketplace for petroleum products and this oil will get to those markets.
“Killing the Keystone XL pipeline doesn’t stop the oil, it just means that it will be transported by rail and truck, increasing emissions.
“According to estimates, moving the oil by other means will result in a net increase of 1.5 million tons of CO2, which is equivalent to 490,000 cars on the road.
“We saw this firsthand in Western North Dakota during the Bakken shale boom.
“Without pipelines there are more oil tankers on the rails, which means skyrocketing transportation rates for other products from corn, to freight, to everything in between.
“Without pipelines, there are more trucks on the road, which means more wear and tear and significantly increased traffic.
“Pipelines are safe, efficient, reliable, help reduce emissions, and bring substantial benefits to rural communities.
“Projects like Keystone XL must be allowed to move forward to protect the economic well being and national security of the United States.”
Chairman Mark Fox of the Three Affiliated Tribes and ND Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem recently requested consultation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on DAPL.
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