Uninterrupted operation must continue for the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), which has been operating safely and securely for over six years, say U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND).
Specifically, the lawmakers called for an end to another review being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the DAPL.
“North Dakota, the region, and the United States enjoys one of the safest and most environmentally sound pieces of energy infrastructure ever built,” they wrote in a Jan. 30 letter sent to U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Connor. “It is in the state and nation’s interest to conclude this seemingly endless review and keep DAPL operational without interruption.”
The Corps is working to complete a supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the DAPL’s 0.21-mile easement that crosses under the Oahe Reservoir.
“This is the third time DAPL has undergone environmental scrutiny under the National Environmental Policy Act,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are concerned the additional scrutiny being imposed on the project has little to do with actual environmental effects and more to do with opposing the type of fuel the infrastructure carries.
“Unlike other pipeline debates,” they added, “DAPL has been in operation for over six years, demonstrating an extensive record of moving well over half a million barrels of oil per day safely and cleanly.”
One of the potential alternatives the Corps is analyzing would be to unearth the existing pipeline and reroute it north, a move that the draft EIS acknowledged would create myriad hurdles and negative impacts, according to their letter.
And the lawmakers agreed that such a reroute “should not be an alternative even considered” since the Corps is only supposed to be looking at the pipeline’s 0.21-mile easement.
“By proposing a potential reroute scenario, the [Corps] is stepping into the state’s jurisdiction and assessing options the applicant did not apply for,” they wrote. “But even if the route was to be pushed north, no problems would be solved. In fact, the Corps’ and previous analysis indicates it opens substantial new ones.”
Additionally, if the pipeline is closed, North Dakota could lose approximately $1.2 billion in the first year and $116 million each year following, according to their letter, which is also signed by U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND).
“The best course of action would be for the [Corps] to maintain the uninterrupted operation of the existing DAPL route,” wrote the lawmakers, who urged the Corps to grant the requested easement in a final EIS and issue a timely decision.