Northwest Iowa — Bakken Crude Oil has been flowing through the Dakota Access Pipeline since June 1st, but now a federal judge has called for an environmental analysis of the pipeline, a move that could have implications for all states touched by the project. Iowa is one of those states, including the area counties of Lyon, Sioux and O’Brien.
Bold Iowa executive director Ed Fallon, whose group opposes the pipeline, says the ruling provides an opening for a new challenge as two leading opposition groups are launching a new legal attack.
Even though the Iowa Utilities Board approved the pipeline project earlier, Fallon says the board could bring pipeline operations to a halt with this latest legal filing.
Fallon says some Iowa farmers are already having to deal with the aftermath of the pipeline’s construction.
Fallon says some Iowa landowners are continuing their lawsuit against Dakota Access over eminent domain issues. Their attorney is arguing eminent domain shouldn’t be given to a private company if it’s not providing a public service. That case is expected to be heard in the Iowa Supreme Court this fall.
