Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
Senator Stresses DAPL’s Importance to U.S. Energy Security, Record of Safe Operations
WASHINGTON – At a hearing of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Committee this week, Senator John Hoeven pressed Michael Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, for an update on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), urging him to complete the process as soon as possible. The senator stressed the pipeline’s importance not only to the energy industry in North Dakota, but to U.S. energy security, and highlighted its long history of safe operations.
“The Dakota Access Pipeline is vital energy infrastructure, transporting well over half a million barrels of the lightest, sweetest crude oil per day from North Dakota to energy consumers throughout the Midwest,” said Hoeven. “With the high cost of energy impacting our nation and hitting the pocketbooks of hardworking Americans right now, we need pipelines and other energy facilities like DAPL to get energy to market safely and cost-effectively. Given that it’s been operating safely for nearly six years, utilizing the best safeguards and latest technology, the Army Corps needs to promptly bring the EIS process to completion and provide certainty for all those who rely upon this critical pipeline.”
The hearing comes as the latest in Hoeven’s efforts to press for DAPL’s continued operation. The senator has repeatedly raised this priority with Army Corps officials, including Chief LTG Scott Spellmon, and worked to ensure the pipeline remains operational while the Corps completes its court-ordered review.
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