Today's Midwest Energy News headlines/links re: the Dakota Access Pipeline

PIPELINES:
• The Dakota Access pipeline developer is not slowing down construction of the project through contentious parts of the route, even as federal regulators have not signaled that the line will be able to proceed. (Reuters)
• North Dakota regulators are proposing a $15,000 fine on the Dakota Access pipeline developer for not getting approval to continue construction after artifacts were found. (Associated Press)

[Please note that President-elect Donald J. Trump is personally invested in the Dakota Access Pipeline, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, or more. Also, one of his top energy advisors -- even rumored to be a leading contender in the running for Trump's nomination for Energy Secretary in the new administration --- is a leading figure in the development of the Dakota Access Pipeline project.]

[And in closely related news...]

• Incumbent Republican Chris Nelson fended off Democratic challenger and clean energy supporter Henry Red Cloud to retain his seat on the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. (KSFY)

[The SD PUC has oversight on oil pipeline development -- the Dakota Access Pipeline would pass through SD, as well as ND, IA, and IL.]

North Dakota: Pipeline Company Says It Will Soon Begin Drilling Despite Lack of Permit

From Democracy Now! headlines:

In North Dakota, the company building the Dakota Access pipeline says it is preparing to drill beneath Lake Oahe on the Missouri River within two weeks, even though the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not granted a permit. The announcement shocked and infuriated opponents of the $3.8 billion pipeline, which has faced months of resistance from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe along with representatives of over 200 other indigenous tribes and non-Native allies. Opponents, who call themselves "water protectors," say they were promised by an Army Corps of Engineers official that the Dakota Access pipeline would be delayed by at least 30 days, should the Obama administration agree to a permit. But pipeline builder Energy Transfer Partners said Tuesday the Army Corps was mistaken when it said the company had agreed to slow construction. The announcement came one week after President Obama said the Army Corps was looking at a possible "reroute" of the pipeline.

Norwegian Bank DNB Considering Cutting Funding of Dakota Access Pipeline

From Democracy Now! headlines:

The proposal to reroute the Dakota Access comes as the billion-dollar project, spearheaded by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, is facing increasing pressure from the banks funding its construction. On Sunday, the Norwegian bank DNB announced it’s considering withdrawing its funding amid concerns about human rights violations against the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota. DNB, which is Norway’s largest bank, is responsible for financing up to 10 percent of pipeline. This comes as Citigroup told The New York Times it also has raised concerns about the project with Energy Transfer Partners, although the bank has not yet said whether it will withdraw its funding. Citigroup is playing a major role as both a financer of the project and the loan agent. Lindsey Allen of the Rainforest Action Network said, "Citibank’s leading role in financing the pipeline makes it complicit in gross violations of Indigenous and human rights."

Tim Kaine on Dakota Access Pipeline Reroute: It’s the Right Thing to Do

From Democracy Now! headlines:

Hillary Clinton’s vice-presidential running mate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, has said he supports the possible rerouting of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, which has faced months of resistance from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota, as well as members of more than 200 other indigenous tribes and nations from across the Americas and their non-Native allies. Last week, President Obama said the Army Corps was considering plans to reroute the pipeline. It’s already been rerouted at least once, away from Bismarck and Mandan, amid objections from the area’s mostly white residents over the possibility of water contamination. This is Senator Tim Kaine in an interview with Fusion.

Alicia Menendez: "Senator Sanders has said the Dakota Access pipeline must be stopped. Do you agree or disagree?"

Sen. Tim Kaine: "Well, certainly, the questions raised about the route are important. President Obama, a month or so back—might have been six weeks ago—said, 'Look, we need to do a set of consultations between the U.S. government and the sovereign tribal governments about projects like this. And then, in recent days, what he said is we ought to be able to find a route that solves some of these problems. And I'm optimistic about that, too. I know the administration is working very hard on it. They’ve made—"

Alicia Menendez: "So you’d be in support of rerouting it?"

Sen. Tim Kaine: "Well, look, they’ve already rerouted it once. It was routed to be near Bismarck, and then that route was changed. So if it’s changed once—if it’s an important enough project, you ought to be able to find a route that works. And so, what the Obama administration has done by saying, 'Hey, let's look at route alternatives,’ I think is the right thing to do."

ND Police Tear Gas Native American Protectors Defending Sacred Sites from Dakota Access Pipeline

From Democracy Now! headlines:

In North Dakota, police fired tear gas at Native American water protectors fighting the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline Sunday, as they tried to protect a sacred site where they say their ancestors are buried. Kandi Mossett of the Indigenous Environmental Network also responded to President Obama’s statement last week that the Army Corps is considering ways to reroute the pipeline.

Kandi Mossett: "Many of us here do not support a reroute, but it’s important for people to know that even uttering those words could effectively kill this project, because they cannot possibly afford it."