Iowa CCI calls for rejection of proposed Bakken Pipeline

CCI members see 50,400 gallons bakken crude oil spill in Yellowstone River as harsh reminder of what project will bring to Iowa

 We are calling on the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) and Governor Branstad to reject Texas oil company, Energy Transfer Partner’s (ETP) permit to construct the proposed Bakken Pipeline, which was filed on January 20th.

“Our members have heard from people across the state that Iowa must reject this project because it would be an abuse of the powers of eminent domain, threaten our land and water quality, and contribute to the most disastrous impacts of climate change,” said Nathan Malachowski, Iowa CCI organizer. “That’s why we are calling on IUB, Governor Branstad, and the Iowa Legislature to do everything in their power to stop this.”

News of the company’s application comes as the governor of Montana declared a state of emergency following an early Saturday morning pipeline spill 9 miles north of the city of Glendive, MT. The cause of the leak has yet to be determined by Bridger Pipeline, LLC, the owner of the pipeline in question.

Initial estimates found that up to 50,400 gallons of bakken crude have contaminated the land and water of the Yellowstone River. Local residents found that their water tastes and smells like oil and is laced with dangerous carcinogens. Bakken crude is believed to have made its way as far as 60 miles downstream, under the frozen river, which has made it very difficult to detect.

By comparison, the Bakken Pipeline would be much larger: the proposed pipeline would be 30 inches in diameter, cover 346 miles, and transport up to 540,000 barrels of crude oil through 18 Iowa counties, including every major watershed in the state. This application for permit is the first step in the regulatory process laid out by the IUB for hazardous crude oil pipelines, which will culminate in a public hearing later this year.

“This is the same type of crude that would be piped through Iowa if the proposed project is built,” said Brenda Brink, a CCI member from Story County, along the proposed path. “Not only are they struggling to find the source of the leak, they don’t have any idea of the total amount yet. And this is from a 12 inch pipe- the Bakken Pipeline would be 30 inches.”

Given diameter and flow, the Bakken Pipeline would transport up to six times as much bakken crude as the Montana pipeline. This means that the potential impact of the proposed Iowa project is much greater when there is an oil spill, especially considering the state’s already looming water crisis.

“A clean water crisis is already facing Iowans,” said Ross Grooters, CCI member and unionized train engineer. “Residents in nearby Montana towns were asked to not drink their water. We can’t expose Iowa to the threat of an oil spill at the same time that nitrate levels in our drinking water are skyrocketing.

”While clean-up efforts are underway in Montana, there is little doubt the impacts will be lasting for the Yellowstone River, which has seen two oil spills in the past four years. CCI members know that this isn’t just a wake-up call for Iowa residents, but should also get the attention of our State Representatives and Senators, in spite of Governor Branstad’s attempt to silence legislative action on the proposed Bakken Pipeline.

“Our state legislators should be watching this oil spill in the Yellowtone River very closely.” said Angie Carter, CCI member and graduate student at Iowa State University. “The proposed Bakken oil pipeline would cross all of our major rivers in Iowa, including the Missouri and the Mississippi. There is no reason our state should risk the drinking and recreational waters of all Iowans for an oil company's profits."

Iowa CCI is part of a growing number of organizations, landowners, and everyday citizens across the state committed to stopping the proposed Bakken Pipeline from construction. For more information, visit nobakken.com!

Check out the following media hits from all across Iowa:We were mentioned in the Des Moines Register, the Ames Tribune, and a similar story hit the Cedar Rapids Gazette, the Sioux City Journal, and Businessweek.