North Dakota – North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong welcomed a federal decision reinstating the easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline to operate beneath Lake Oahe, following the completion of the pipeline’s Final Environmental Impact Statement process.
The approval came after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed the Record of Decision for the environmental review, allowing pipeline operations to continue. The announcement was made by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgumduring the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck.
Governor Kelly Armstrong said the decision removes uncertainty surrounding the pipeline, which has operated for nearly nine years.
He described the Dakota Access Pipeline as an important part of the nation’s energy infrastructure and said its continued operation would support affordable energy prices and national energy security.
Armstrong also emphasized the pipeline’s economic importance to North Dakota, noting the impact on communities, businesses, and residents across the state.
The Dakota Access Pipeline has remained a subject of legal and environmental debate for years, particularly regarding its crossing beneath Lake Oahe. The latest federal approval allows the pipeline to continue operations under the reinstated easement following the environmental review process.
