Thursday afternoon, the Iowa Utilities Board approved the permit application by Energy Transfer Partners for the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Texas company wants to build the pipeline to ship oil from the Bakken fields in North Dakota across South Dakota and Iowa into Illinois. Iowa Citizen’s For Community Improvement’s State Policy Director Adam Mason says they’re disappointed by the decision but will continue fighting the project.
He says besides challenging the project with the State Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, that several lawsuits will be filed to stop the pipeline company from proceeding.
Mason says one of the biggest concerns with the Dakota Access pipeline is that the Iowa Utilities Board has redefined the private pipeline company as a public utiity.
Energy Transfer Parnters has already gained permit approval for Dakota Access from North Dakota, South Dakota and Illinois.
