The Iowa Utilities Board voted unanimously 3-0 Thursday to approve a construction permit for Dakota Access to build the Bakken oil pipeline across 18 Iowa counties which will cross local counties of Buena Vista, Sac, Calhoun, Webster and Boone. The board returned to an open session at 1 p-m, after a couple of days of close-door deliberations, and board member Libby Jacobs of West Des Moines read a statement about the decision.
Board chair Geri Huser then called for a vote. Shortly after the approval, several of the people in the audience started shouting and the board quickly adjourned.
The members of the the Bakken Pipeline Resistance Coalition then moved outside the I-U-B building to talk with the media. Wally Taylor is a lawyer who works with the group and believes they have a chance to get the decision overturned in court.
Pam Alexander is a land owner who believes more harm than good will come from the pipeline.
The order approved by the Iowa Utilities Board sets out several terms Dakota Access must meet. They include a general liability insurance policy in the amount of at least 25 million dollars; Dakota Access must demonstrate and file the unconditional and irrevocable guarantees from its parent companies for remediation of damages from a leak or spill.
~Report contributed by Radio Iowa
