Northwest Iowa — County Emergency Management Agencies from O’Brien, Sioux and Lyon Counties were among were six county EMA organizations that were each presented with a check for $20,000 in a ceremony held Thursday in Storm Lake.
The checks were from the Dakota Access Pipeline, which is making the donation to each county through which their pipeline travels, with the total donation, statewide, of $360,000. With the aim of helping first responders, each county is encouraged to use the funds where they need it most, according to a release from the pipeline company.
Dakota Access Pipeline says they are committed to being a good neighbor, a good business partner and a valued member of Iowa’s communities. Dakota Access plans to make similar donations to county emergency management agencies across its four-state route, totaling $1 million across 50 counties in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.
The counties presented checks on Thursday were O’Brien, Sioux, Lyon, Cherokee, Buena Vista and Sac. The County EMA Coordinators from our immediate area, Jared Johnson of O’Brien County, Nate Huizenga from Sioux County and Arden Kopischke of Lyon County all indicated the money would be used for new emergency response equipment for their first responders.
Dakota Access Pipeline traverses approximately 101 miles through Lyon, Sioux, O’Brien, Cherokee, Buena Vista and Sac counties in Iowa. The company will also be donating to the Iowa 4-H Foundation and the Iowa FFA Foundation, as well. They made a similar donation of $1 million to county EMAs after the pipeline began service in 2017.
