Oil industry urges Trump to approve Dakota Access pipeline

[webfact]

Oil industry urges Trump to approve Dakota Access pipeline

By JAMES MacPHERSON

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Industry leaders are urging President-elect Donald Trump to make approval of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline a priority when he takes office next month, but a spokesman for Trump isn't offering many clues about how the incoming president might act.

 

Meanwhile, the leader of the Standing Rock Sioux is calling on pipeline opponents to leave a camp in southern North Dakota where they've been protesting for months, as dangerous winter weather sets in. Many are vowing to stay, however.

Here's a guide to the latest developments and key background about the protest:

___

THE TRUMP FACTOR

Two industry groups are calling on Trump to pave the way for the pipeline's completion when he enters the White House in January. The requests come after the Army declined to issue a permit for the $3.8 billion pipeline to cross under a Missouri River reservoir in southern North Dakota near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

 

The American Petroleum Institute represents the U.S. oil and natural gas industry, and the MAIN Coalition is made up of agriculture, business and labor entities that benefit from Midwest infrastructure projects.

 

Trump supports construction of the pipeline, spokesman Jason Miller told The Associated Press on Monday, but Miller wouldn't say whether Trump would reverse the Army's decision. Miller said the Trump administration will review the situation "and make the appropriate determination."

 

Trump holds stock in Energy Transfer Partners. Pipeline opponents worry that Trump's investments could affect any decision he makes on the project as president.

___

EASEMENT DENIAL

The Army on Sunday said it would not approve an easement for a pipeline crossing beneath Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir and the source of drinking water for the nearby Standing Rock Reservation. The Standing Rock tribe says the pipeline threatens its water and cultural sites.

 

Assistant Army Secretary for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy said her decision was based on the need to consider alternative routes.

 

Dallas-based pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners said the decision is politically motivated and that President Barack Obama's administration is just delaying the matter until he leaves office.

 

Protesters, who describe themselves as "water protectors," say they have no plans to leave despite the Army's decision and recent wintry storms. Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault said Monday that he doesn't think there will be any developments for months and that people should go home.

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THE ORIGINS

Energy Transfer Partners got federal permits for the pipeline in July, about two years after it was announced. The pipeline is projected to move a half-million barrels of crude oil daily to an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois, for shipment to Midwest and Gulf Coast markets.

 

Supporters say the pipeline will have safeguards against leaks, and is a safer way to move oil than trucks and trains, especially after a handful of fiery — and sometimes deadly — derailments of trains carrying North Dakota crude.

 

The Standing Rock Sioux, whose reservation straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border, have challenged the Army Corps of Engineers' decision to grant permits at more than 200 water crossings. A federal judge in September denied the tribe's request to block construction of the entire pipeline.

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MISSING LINK

The pipeline is largely complete except for the section under Lake Oahe, about a mile upstream of the reservation.

 

The tribe argues putting the pipeline there could affect drinking water for more than 8,000 tribal members and millions downstream. The Corps of Engineers granted Energy Transfer Partners the permits needed for the crossing in July, but the federal government decided in September that further analysis was warranted given the tribe's concerns. Then came Sunday's decision from the Army, which oversees the Corps.

 

The company responded by asking U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to declare that it has the right to lay pipe under Lake Oahe. The judge isn't likely to issue a decision until January at the earliest.

 

Obama raised the possibility of rerouting the pipeline in early November, and Archambault has said that would be acceptable to the tribe provided the new route isn't near the reservation and doesn't cross the Missouri River. But Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren told The Associated Press that that the pipeline won't be rerouted and the company has no alternative than to stick to its plan.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the decision not to approve the easement came from the Army instead of the Corps of Engineers. It has also been corrected to reflect that the federal government, not the Corps, decided in September that further analysis was warranted.

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-12-06

[Scott]

I have mixed emotions about this pipeline.   On one hand, the country needs oil and it needs to be transported in the safest most efficient manner possible.   The issue of where it should cross is the prime consideration.   In my opinion, it should be in the vicinity of the Garrison Dam, but that said I am not an engineer nor an environmental scientist.

 

Crossing under the Oahe Reservoir runs the risk of polluting a large and relatively important body of water.   Crossing the river where it is running also has risks.   The river constantly shifts and moves.   In the spring, when the Northern Plains start to thaw, it is subject to flooding, ice jams and a variety of other risks.

 

Hopefully there will be some very informed and indepth looks at what is the best route for the pipeline.  

[iReason]

Why a Previously Proposed Route for the Dakota Access Pipeline Was Rejected

 

"A previously proposed route for the 1,172-mile pipeline had it crossing the Missouri River north of Bismarck, North Dakota, according to a document filed as part of the permitting process."

 

"The eventual route that was decided on, and is currently in construction, moved the water crossing of the crude oil pipeline south of the North Dakota capital, to just upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe's reservation."

 

"In its environmental assessment, the Corps rejected the Bismarck route to protect wells that serve the municipal water supply, according to The Bismarck Tribune. 

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/previously-proposed-route-dakota-access-pipeline-rejected/story?id=43274356

 

Apparently what is good for the goose is not good for the gander...

Edited December 6, 2016 by metisdead
Edited as per fair use policy.

[iReason]

“I Will Give You Everything” Promises Trump In Announcing His Energy Plan

 

"Yesterday in a press conference and speech in North Dakota, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced

what some are terming his energy policy."

 

"At one point, Trump estimated that “75 percent of our rules and regulations are bad for us”

 

"There’s a small problem with that narrative: under the Obama administration,

the US has become the world’s single largest producer of oil and natural gas."

 

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/page/320303_I_Will_Give_You_Everything_Pro

http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-liberal/2016/05/trump-i-will-give-you-everything-im-the-only-one-2529663.html

[crankshaft]

Professional protesters...most of them......Love to live in the limelight especially when the Hollywood elite show up 

http://www.pipeline101.com/Where-Are-Pipelines-Located

[Grubster]

Why no mention of crossing the Mississippi river?

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, crankshaft said:

Professional protesters...most of them......Love to live in the limelight especially when the Hollywood elite show up 

http://www.pipeline101.com/Where-Are-Pipelines-Located

You got proof that these protestors are professionals?

[iReason]

On December 8, 2016 at 1:13 PM, crankshaft said:

Professional protesters...most of them......Love to live in the limelight especially when the Hollywood elite show up

 

Is this an inside look into your fantasy world?

Or do you have documentation to back up your facetious claims?

 

[NeverSure]

From the OP:

 

"Trump holds stock in Energy Transfer Partners. Pipeline opponents worry that Trump's investments could affect any decision he makes on the project as president."

 

Trump is reported to have sold his entire stock portfolio in June to avoid conflicts of interest. It is said that it was a small portion of all of his holdings which are mostly real estate.  LINK

 

It is also reported that he held stock in Boeing which he has been roundly trashing for costs involved with a new AF-1 and for planning to build a plant in China.

 

Cheers.

Edited December 9, 2016 by NeverSure

[MajarTheLion]

51 minutes ago, NeverSure said:

From the OP:

 

"Trump holds stock in Energy Transfer Partners. Pipeline opponents worry that Trump's investments could affect any decision he makes on the project as president."

 

Trump is reported to have sold his entire stock portfolio in June to avoid conflicts of interest. It is said that it was a small portion of all of his holdings which are mostly real estate.  LINK

 

It is also reported that he held stock in Boeing which he has been roundly trashing for costs involved with a new AF-1 and for planning to build a plant in China.

 

Cheers.

 

You beat me to the punch. So the Washington Post is engaging in "fake news", as Trump sold all his stocks in June.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-sold-all-shares-in-companies-in-june-spokesman-says/2016/12/06/55419d44-bbcf-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?utm_term=.5bf77bbd479d

[d123]

With the proposed team Trump is putting together the pipeline will go ahead as planned, maybe a little delayed but the route will be the same.