DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Utilities Board is preparing an order that would allow a Texas oil pipeline company to begin construction in Iowa in areas for which it has landowner approval and permits.
Dallas-based Dakota Access LLC, which is building a 1,150-mile pipeline from North Dakota into Illinois, had asked the Iowa board for permission to begin work in areas outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Corps hasn’t issued permits for about 60 Iowa river crossings, wetlands or federal land where historical or environmental issues could arise. One in northwest Iowa is under review for a possible Native American burial site.
The board directed its attorney to draft an order allowing construction to begin and will review it for final approval early next week.