The North Dakota Public Service Commission has now formally weighed in on the Army Corps of Engineers’ updated environmental impact statement on the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Last October, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed suit against the Corps for continuing to operate the pipeline without a necessary easement. The Tribe contends this violates the National Environmental Policy Act. The DC district court granted Energy Transfer Partners’ motion to hold the case in abeyance.
PSC Public Utilities Division Director Victor Schock said the comments were the same as the comments submitted to the draft environmental impact statement, that was done in 2023. He said the new EIS clarifies the points made in the original statement, as well as some of the different options, such as not to grant the easement, abandon the pipeline in-place, dig the pipeline out of the bottom of the lake.
"That was the craziest one in my opinion," Schock said. "The environmental impact of that is unfathomable."
Schock said the other options were to grant the easement as is, or grant it with some conditions. He said he believes the statement will be approved with some conditions.
The Commission's comments will be forwarded to the Governor's office, which is collecting the comments from the state agencies with some say over the pipeline.
