WASHINGTON – An Environmental Impact Study (EIS) was released Friday morning by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline.
“This announcement of the Dakota Access Pipeline’s final Environmental Impact Statement has been nearly a decade in the making, for one EIS over a couple hundred yards,” Senator Kevin Cramer said. “The Dakota Access Pipeline has already been safely operating for over eight years, which we all know in North Dakota. It moves millions of barrels of oil every single week, which just proves that an EIS is nothing more than a very expensive formality.”
The 464-page document was required by a U.S. District Court Judge because the ‘pipeline’s effects on the quality of the human environment are likely to be highly controversial,’ according to the abstract available with the statement.
The Record of Decision for the pipeline, which is the final approval under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, may be issued 30 days after the EIS is published in the Federal Register and is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2026.
“The Dakota Access Pipeline has been operating safely for more than eight years, moving more than a half a million barrels a day of light, sweet crude from North Dakota’s oil patch,” said Senator John Hoeven. “That’s energy we don’t need to import from our adversaries, and this is the proven, safest method for moving the oil we need to market. That’s why we’ve stayed on the Corps throughout this process to ensure they reach the right decision for our economic and national security. Today’s EIS sets up the final approval for DAPL in Q1 2026 and provides needed certainty for the continued operation of this critical infrastructure.”
North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong, who worked on getting the issue solved in Congress, also issued a statement.
“This is great news for North Dakota and brings us one step closer to putting an end to this prolonged, unnecessary and politicized process,” Armstrong said. “From the beginning, the state has urged the Corps to follow the law, facts, science and common sense. After eight years of operating safely, the Dakota Access Pipeline has become an essential part of our nation’s energy infrastructure. Its continued operation will ensure energy security and affordability for the country while providing positive economic impact that touches every North Dakotan.”
