BISMARCK, N.D. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has signed the Record of Decision for the Dakota Access Pipeline Final Environmental Impact Statement, reinstating the easement that allows the pipeline to cross beneath Lake Oahe and clearing the way for continued operations.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the decision Friday morning at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck, delivering what North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong called long-overdue resolution for a pipeline that has operated for nearly nine years.
Armstrong praised the announcement as a significant win for energy infrastructure, economic stability, and national security, saying the decision removes a cloud of uncertainty that has hung over the pipeline for years. He welcomed Burgum back to his home state, noting the former North Dakota governor brought welcome news to the conference.
The Dakota Access Pipeline, which moves crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken formation through South Dakota and Iowa to an Illinois terminal, has been at the center of a prolonged legal and regulatory battle over its Lake Oahe crossing. A federal court had previously ordered the Corps to conduct a full environmental impact statement after finding the original permitting process inadequate. Friday’s Record of Decision marks the conclusion of that review and formally restores the pipeline’s legal authorization to operate at the crossing.
The pipeline is a critical piece of energy infrastructure for North Dakota’s oil-producing region, and its continued operation carries significant economic implications for the state’s energy sector and the communities that depend on it.
By: Big Sky Broadcasting Newswire