The Boone County Board of Supervisors has voted 3-0 to oppose the proposed Bakken oil pipeline, which would slice diagonally through the county's corn and soybean fields while transporting up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota to Illinois.
The resolution approved Wednesday asks the Iowa Utilities Board to deny a state permit to construct the pipeline, citing concerns about "massive spills" that could impact water, farmland and wildlife, and opposition to the use of eminent domain to obtain easements on private land for the project.
"We are looking to protect private property rights," said Supervisor Tom Foster of Ogden, who authored the resolution. "We think eminent domain is being misused here, and I don't think any county in Iowa has the sources to respond if we would ever have a hazardous spill. We are just trying to protect our people."
The pipeline is proposed by Dakota Access, LLC, a unit of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st.../bakken-pipeline-iowa-cci-utilities/73990694/
Foster said Iowa law currently requires only a $250,000 surety bond for damages resulting from the pipeline, while the costs of cleaning up an oil spill would be far greater. He also said property owners are worried that even if they oppose the pipeline they could ultimately be held responsible in court for financial damages in the event of a pipeline spill.
The Iowa Utilities Board has scheduled up to 11 days of hearings on proposed pipeline plans, starting Nov. 12, and is expected to make a decision on the project sometime in December or January. The pipeline would pass 343 miles through 18 Iowa counties.
Dakota Access has defended the safety of the project, saying that once constructed, the pipeline will include numerous safety features. These will be increased, particularly in terms of thickness of the pipe and location and frequency of remotely controllable valves, in sensitive areas such as rivers, officials said.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, a citizens advocacy group, issued a statement praising the Boone County Board of Supervisors for their resolution and called upon officials in other Iowa counties to adopt similar resolutions.
“I’m proud of the Boone County Supervisors for taking a stance to protect Boone County residents and the health of our soil and waterways for present and future generations,” said Mark Edwards, an Iowa CCI member from Boone County.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...owa-pipeline-lawsuit-can-go-forward/73652768/
Bill Gerhard, president of the Iowa State Building & Construction Trades Council, which sees the pipeline project as an economic opportunity for Iowa construction workers, contends property owners shouldn't be worried about pipeline spills.
"We have thousands of miles of pipeline going underneath Iowa right now. it is a rare occasion now when any of them leak. So using safety is a red herring to me," Gerhard said.
Research by The Des Moines Register last year showed that while the state has avoided large-scale disasters, Iowa has had 100 pipeline spills since 2004, with a majority of the accidents involving anhydrous ammonia and propane. Other products involved in Iowa pipeline accidents over the past decade have included natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel and butane, according to state and federal records.
http://www.press-citizen.com/story/...supervisors-vote-no-bakken-pipeline/74458844/
The resolution approved Wednesday asks the Iowa Utilities Board to deny a state permit to construct the pipeline, citing concerns about "massive spills" that could impact water, farmland and wildlife, and opposition to the use of eminent domain to obtain easements on private land for the project.
"We are looking to protect private property rights," said Supervisor Tom Foster of Ogden, who authored the resolution. "We think eminent domain is being misused here, and I don't think any county in Iowa has the sources to respond if we would ever have a hazardous spill. We are just trying to protect our people."
The pipeline is proposed by Dakota Access, LLC, a unit of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st.../bakken-pipeline-iowa-cci-utilities/73990694/
Foster said Iowa law currently requires only a $250,000 surety bond for damages resulting from the pipeline, while the costs of cleaning up an oil spill would be far greater. He also said property owners are worried that even if they oppose the pipeline they could ultimately be held responsible in court for financial damages in the event of a pipeline spill.
The Iowa Utilities Board has scheduled up to 11 days of hearings on proposed pipeline plans, starting Nov. 12, and is expected to make a decision on the project sometime in December or January. The pipeline would pass 343 miles through 18 Iowa counties.
Dakota Access has defended the safety of the project, saying that once constructed, the pipeline will include numerous safety features. These will be increased, particularly in terms of thickness of the pipe and location and frequency of remotely controllable valves, in sensitive areas such as rivers, officials said.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, a citizens advocacy group, issued a statement praising the Boone County Board of Supervisors for their resolution and called upon officials in other Iowa counties to adopt similar resolutions.
“I’m proud of the Boone County Supervisors for taking a stance to protect Boone County residents and the health of our soil and waterways for present and future generations,” said Mark Edwards, an Iowa CCI member from Boone County.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...owa-pipeline-lawsuit-can-go-forward/73652768/
Bill Gerhard, president of the Iowa State Building & Construction Trades Council, which sees the pipeline project as an economic opportunity for Iowa construction workers, contends property owners shouldn't be worried about pipeline spills.
"We have thousands of miles of pipeline going underneath Iowa right now. it is a rare occasion now when any of them leak. So using safety is a red herring to me," Gerhard said.
Research by The Des Moines Register last year showed that while the state has avoided large-scale disasters, Iowa has had 100 pipeline spills since 2004, with a majority of the accidents involving anhydrous ammonia and propane. Other products involved in Iowa pipeline accidents over the past decade have included natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel and butane, according to state and federal records.
http://www.press-citizen.com/story/...supervisors-vote-no-bakken-pipeline/74458844/
