The Army Corps of Engineers is accepting public comments on their plan to grant the easement required to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Notice of Intent indicates that the public comment period runs through February 20, 2017. Comments can be sent to Mr. Gib Owen.

I used a few minutes of this snowy, lazy morning to send the following feedback:

Mr. Owen,

I’m writing to request that Dakota Access, LLC, NOT be granted an easement to cross Lake Oahe.

Because the proposed easement is only one half-mile upstream from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation, any spill would have a substantial impact on their land. As we have seen already in 2017, these pipelines have a substantial likelihood of leaking, and tremendous capacity for damage when a leak occurs. The following articles support this claim:

Report: Kinder Morgan’s pipeline spill in South Carolina bigger than estimated http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-02-03/report-kinder-morgans-pipeline-spill-south-carolina-bigger-estimated This article details a gasoline pipeline spill of more than 500,000 galloons, still seeping into creeks in South Carolina.

Iowa oil spill underscores pipeline risks day after Trump revives major projects https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/25/oil-spill-iowa-trump-keystone-dakota-access-pipeline An oil pipeline has leaked 138,600 gallons in Iowa in January.

Oil Pipeline Spills 53,000 Gallons on First Nations Land http://www.ecowatch.com/oil-pipeline-spill-first-nations-2211497739.html Also in January, a Canadian pipeline leaked 200,000L of oil onto Native American lands.

These articles highlight the inability to guarantee the integrity of these pipelines. I urge the Army Corps of Engineers to seek an alternative location for the Dakota Access pipeline.

Thank you,

Jeff Vautin

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