WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Judge’s decision to shut down U.S. pipeline met with criticism across the country
Several industry and union groups, as well as elected officials came out in opposition to today’s decision by U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg that would require a stoppage of the Dakota Access pipeline by August 5th until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completes an environmental impact statement. The Corps has said that it will take until mid-2021 to conduct the review.
Following is a sampling of the comments that were made today in response to the Judge’s decision:
“It is disappointing that, once again, an energy infrastructure project that provides thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in economic revenue has been shut down by the well-funded environmental lobby, using our Nation’s court system to further their agenda. The Dakota Access Pipeline safely provides affordable and reliable American-produced crude oil across the Midwest, and has created approximately 10,000 jobs. In addition, the shutdown will eliminate millions of tax dollars paid by the pipeline each year that go towards schools, hospitals, and other community services in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois.”
-U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Brouillette (source)
“Shutting down the Dakota Access Pipeline would have devastating consequences to North Dakota and to America’s energy security. This terrible ruling should be promptly appealed.”
-United States Senator Kevin Cramer (ND) (source)
“This troubling decision, which we expect will be appealed, could have devastating effects on North Dakota’s economy and U.S. energy security. No one cares more about North Dakota’s clean water than the people who live here, and if a single judge is able to shut down a state-of-the-art pipeline project that was permitted and has been operating safely for more than three years, it would have a chilling effect on America’s ability to build, modernize and improve our nation’s critical infrastructure, which we need to do for both energy security and environmental stewardship.”
-North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (ND) (source)
“The International Union of Operating Engineers is tremendously disappointed by Judge Boasberg’s decision to shut down operations of the Dakota Access pipeline after more than three years of safe operation. If allowed to stand, this ruling will throw into question the overall integrity of the permitting process, cripple investor confidence, depress future job creation, and harm joint labor-management construction training funds.”
-International Union of Operating Engineers (source)
“[Today’s decision] …second – guesses the rigorous permitting and approval process, which guided the Dakota Access Pipeline as well as that of thousands of crucial infrastructure projects across the country. The ruling also ignores the high standards and reputation for quality of the more than 8,000 skilled building trades men and women who built Dakota Access using the safest and most advanced construction methods.”
-Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) (source)
“Our nation’s outdated and convoluted permitting rules are opening the door for a barrage of baseless, activist-led litigation, undermining American energy progress and denying local communities the environmental, employment and economic benefits modern pipelines provide. The need to reform our broken permitting system has never been more urgent.”
-American Petroleum Institute (source)
“The Dakota Access Pipeline has operated safely for over 3 years in compliance with extensive federal pipeline safety regulations. However, a court in Washington, DC has now agreed with groups harassing this project that the over 1,000 pages of environmental review conducted before the project was constructed was insufficient.”
-Association of Oil Pipe Lines (source)
“This pipeline is the safest, most environmentally responsible method for moving North Dakota’s crude oil to refining markets around the country. Shutting down this critical piece of infrastructure would throw our country’s crude supply system out of balance, negatively impact several significant industries, inflict more damage on an already struggling economy, and jeopardize our national security. This was an ill-thought-out decision by the Court that should be quickly remedied.”
-Energy Transfer (source)
“Despite its safe operation and having received the necessary permits and approval from both state and federal regulators, Judge Boasberg has decided to side with environmental activists to shut in our nation’s critical natural resources. A robust energy infrastructure network is the lynchpin to our nation’s energy and economic success, and DAPL is a key component of that growing network. While we are disappointed with the judge’s decision, the GAIN Coalition is hopeful that common sense will prevail and this decision will be stayed or overturned. We remain confident the Corps’ additional review will affirm its previous findings on DAPL.”
-Grow America’s Infrastructure Now (source)
