Oil pipeline builder starts bid to get state's OK

The initial steps are underway to seek Iowa Utilities Board approval for an underground pipeline that would carry 320,000 barrels of North Dakota crude oil daily through 18 counties in Iowa.

Dakota Access LLC, a unit of Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, filed documents with the state board last week showing plans to conduct public information meetings about the project next month in each of the 18 counties. The first meetings will be held Dec. 1 in Sioux Center and Inwood in northwest Iowa, and in Farmington and Fort Madison in southeast Iowa. The final meetings are set for Dec. 16 in Fort Dodge and Ottumwa.

Thirty days after informational meetings are finished, Dakota Access may file a state petition for a permit to build the pipeline and to request the right of eminent domain from the Iowa Utilities Board, said Rob Hillesland, a board spokesman. He declined to predict how long it will take for a final decision to be made by the three-member board, which includes two Republicans and one Democrat.

The 30-inch diameter pipeline would pass through 343 miles of land in Iowa, affecting thousands of farmers and other property owners. The pipeline company has already contacted many land owners, asking for permission to conduct surveys.

"We're looking forward to the opportunity to share information on the project at these meetings and to address their questions," said Vicki Granado, an Energy Transfer spokeswoman in Dallas.

The meetings will be open to the public. But the goal is simply for the company to provide details about the pipeline and to answer questions, and it's not viewed as a forum for objections, Hillesland said. "It will be very informal. There will not be a court reporter there, and there will be no records kept," he added.

Gov. Terry Branstad rejected pleas last month from a coalition of community and environmental activists who asked him to issue an executive order blocking the proposed pipeline. The pipeline would originate in North Dakota's Bakken oil fields, where the use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques have caused a boom in oil production.

The crude oil would be transported via the pipeline 1,100 miles through South Dakota and Iowa en route to Patoka, Ill, about 50 miles east of St. Louis. From there, it would be either transported in railroad tank cars or switched to another pipeline en route to the Texas Gulf Coast.

The project's opponents include the Sierra Club, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, and farmers who don't want the pipeline passing through their land. Environmentalists say the pipeline would increase reliance on fossil fuels and carry a risk of spills, while some property owners are worried the project would damage crop land and would leave them vulnerable if leaks occur in the future.

The Iowa Farm Bureau has said it wants to make sure Iowa farmers are protected and that land is preserved. But Farm Bureau officials also say the nation needs a supply of domestic energy to replace reliance on Middle East oil. In addition, the Farm Bureau points out that most Bakken crude oil is now transported on trains, which has made it more difficult for Midwest farmers to transport their grain via railroad hopper cars.

The Iowa Utilities Board has begun receiving comments for and against the project through the board's website at http://www.state.ia.us/iub/ However, board officials suggest people attend an informational meeting before filing an objection so they have more details upon which to base their comments. Hillesland said a public hearing will likely be held at a future date in the county seat of the county at the mid-point of the pipeline, which appears to be Boone County. But no date has been set for the hearing and the timeline for each project considered by the board varies, he said.

Dakota Access says in a notice filed with the Iowa Utilities Board that the pipeline will be buried at least 48 inches deep in agricultural lands; a minimum of 24 inches in consolidated rock; and a minimum of 36 inches elsewhere. Property owners would be compensated if the pipeline passes through their land, although the amount would vary from one property to another, depending upon the circumstances.

If eminent domain is used to obtain an easement, the damages would be determined by a county compensation board in each county, and the decision could be appealed to Iowa's courts.

PIPELINE MEETINGS

Here is the list of public informational meetings regarding the proposed Dakota Access pipeline, would transport crude oil from North Dakota through 18 counties in Iowa en route to Illinois:

Dec. 1: Inwood Community Center, Inwood, 1 p.m.; Terrace View Event Center, Sioux Center, 6 p.m.; Comfort Inn & Suites, Fort Madison, 1 p.m.; River Valley Lodge, Farmington, 6 p.m.

Dec. 2: Sheldon Community Services, Sheldon, 9 a.m.; Cherokee Community Center, Cherokee, 3 p.m.; Jefferson County Fairgrounds Activity Building, Fairfield, 9 a.m.

Dec. 3: Buena Vista University, Anderson Auditorium, Storm Lake, 9 a.m.; Gateway Church of the Nazarene, Community Room, Oskaloosa, 3 p.m.; Memorial Hall, Sigourney, 9 a.m.

Dec. 4: Ankeny Parks and Recreation, Lakeside Center, 400 N.W. Lakeshore Drive, Ankeny, 3 p.m.; DMACC Newton Conference Center, Newton, 9 a.m.

Dec. 15: Sac Community Center, Sac City, 1 p.m.' Calhoun County Expo Center, Rockwell City, 6 p.m.; Boone County Fairgrounds, Community Building, Boone, 6 p.m.; Gates Memorial Auditorium, Nevada, 1 p.m.

Dec. 16: Iowa Central Community College, East Campus, Triton Room, Fort Dodge, 9 a.m.; Bridge View Center, Ottumwa, 9 a.m.