Today’s decision by U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg would require the Dakota Access pipeline to stop flowing oil by August 5th until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completes an environmental impact statement. Multiple elected officials, industry groups and unions came out in opposition to the decision.
Following is a sampling of the comments that were made today in response to the Judge’s decision:
Energy Transfer:
“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.” (Full Statement)
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Brouillette:
“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.” (Full Statement)
United States Senator Kevin Cramer, ND:
““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… I suspect that there will be producers that probably will have to find other markets, other transportation means.” (source)
United States Senator John Hoven, ND:
“The Dakota Access Pipeline is vital energy infrastructure for North Dakota and our nation. The pipeline is equipped with the latest safeguards and technology, and after undergoing years of thorough state regulatory reviews and an extensive federal environmental assessment, it has been operating safely since 2017. Today’s district court ruling comes at a very difficult time because it will severely impact our state’s economy at the same time we are working to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We anticipate the company will appeal the decision to the Circuit Court which should allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to continue to operate while the Army Corps of Engineers works to finalize its environmental impact statement.”
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, ND:
“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.” (source)
United States Rep. Kelly Armstrong, ND:
“This is under really troubling times for the North Dakota economy. This is absolutely devastating—that cannot be overstated enough. This judge obviously has no idea about what happens in a commodity-based economy… Without that pipeline and without the capacity on rail, we don’t have a way to get our product to market. We talk about the North Dakota economy as a whole, but as somebody who lives in western North Dakota, I want people to understand what this does to Williston [and other North Dakota cities]… these blue collar, high-paying jobs have brought an influx [of people]; our communities have gotten younger, people have been allowed to find work close to home… This [decision] really puts those communities and those lives in jeopardy. It’s a really dangerous precedent for North Dakota.” (Full Interview)
International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE):
“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.” (Full Statement)
Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA):
“[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.” (Full Statement)
American Petroleum Institute (API):
“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.” (source)
Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL):
“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.” (source)
Grow America’s Infrastructure Now (GAIN):
“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.” (Full Statement)
North Dakota Petroleum Council:
“Today’s order to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline is a clear case of judicial overreach by a District Court Judge from the District of Columbia. This order will have profound impact on our oil and gas industry and the state of North Dakota. Shutting down the pipeline will have a greater negative impact on safety than any environmental benefit the court is claiming to gain, putting more trucks on our roads, and more rail cars on the tracks, nearly 900 railcars per day. In North Dakota alone, the oil industry provides more than 50% of all state tax revenues and supports over 55,000 jobs. This order will directly harm North Dakota’s economy and its citizens,” said Ron Ness, President of the North Dakota Petroleum Council. “Shutting down the pipeline will cut off North Dakota oil producers from the safest, most reliable and economic method of transporting our high quality Bakken oil to the best markets in the country. Increased rail traffic will impact North Dakota and regional farmers by creating rail capacity issues as harvest season ramps-up this fall.” (source and interview)
National Association of Manufacturers
“Manufacturers and all those who depend on reliable sources of American energy to fuel their operations will be disappointed by today’s decision for further delays. Strong permitting reviews are fundamental to sustainable development and environmental justice, but once cleared, critical projects must move forward because energy infrastructure mean jobs for tens of thousands of families across the country during this critical time for our economic recovery and renewal.”
