Central ND News

In a recent Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee hearing, Senator John Hoeven urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the environmental impact statement (EIS) process for the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

Senator Hoeven emphasized the importance of DAPL in transporting light sweet crude produced by North Dakota and the Three-Affiliated Tribes to markets across the nation. He highlighted that this reduces reliance on oil imports from adversarial nations such as Russia, Venezuela, and OPEC.

"The Dakota Access Pipeline takes the light sweet crude produced by North Dakota and the Three-Affiliated Tribes and helps deliver it to markets across the country. That’s oil we don’t need to import from our adversaries, like Russia, Venezuela and OPEC, because we produce it right here at home," said Hoeven.

He expressed frustration over the protracted EIS process which has been ongoing for years while DAPL has operated without incident. He underscored its significance not only for economic reasons but also national security.

"We’ve been waiting on this EIS process for years, all while the pipeline has operated without incident. Considering the pipeline’s vital importance both to our economic and national security, we need this process to be resolved and for the final approval to be issued," stated Hoeven.