Dakota Access Pipeline DAPL: (2016) The North Dakota Chapter was front-and-center with DAPL activities, hosting club leaders and friends (Michael Brune, RFK, Aaron Mair), investment groups (Nordia), press, and faith organizations. Club members attended rallies and also hosted many of those who were arrested and awaiting their hearings, in their homes, for months (one member had people in her home for over 170 consecutive days), and attended hearings for those arrested.
Keystone 1: (2008-2014) The North Dakota Chapter was the lone voice in the wilderness insisting the Keystone 1 pipeline (eastern ND) moved slightly west, so it was at least out of the aquifers. Coordinating with Dakota Resource Council, we monitored the pipeline for years, documenting the many problems from construction to leaks.
Keystone XL: (2008-2021) The takedown of the notorious Keystone XL (KXL) tar sands pipeline will go down as one of this generation’s most monumental environmental victories. After more than 10 years of tenacious protests, drawn-out legal battles, and flip-flopping executive orders spanning three presidential administrations, the Keystone XL pipeline is in our rearview mirror. The North Dakota Chapter joined a host of environmental organizations in opposing Keystone XL, providing comments and attending protests when needed. Keystone XL would not actually go through North Dakota, but a spur was proposed into the North Dakota Bakken Oilfield; while the spur might never actually be built, the proposed spur gave the pipeline common carrier status.
Sandpiper Pipeline: (2017) Enbridge pipeline Company abandoned their proposed pipeline that would have crossed North Dakota from Beaver Lodge, ND to Superior Wisconsin on Lake Superior. It would have crossed through the Minnesota Lake Country and the Mississippi River three times. North Dakota Chapter had representatives that testified at the ND Public Service Commission and the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The North Dakota Chapter worked with Honor the Earth, Friends of the Mississippi Headwaters and Minnesota 350. The State of Minnesota denied the permit even though North Dakota approved it and Enbridge had started construction in ND.
Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 Pipeline: (2022 to present) The North Dakota Chapter stands with other regional chapters in opposing the Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 pipeline. While there are currently small C02 pipelines in North Dakota, Summit Carbon Solutions, an Iowa-based company is attempting to build what would be the largest carbon pipeline in the United States. This pipeline would run through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa, with the carbon being dumped in Oliver and Mercer North Dakota totaling nearly 2,500 miles of pipeline, pumping C02 at more than 1200 PSI through a 24-inch pipe.
The current proposed route will have the pipeline running under the Red River and the Missouri River. Many communities in North Dakota depend upon these rivers for their drinking water. A burst under the river would threaten these communities, as leaks can contaminate drinking water and impact water treatment facilities.
Aside from the risks, Summit Carbon Solutions has been a bad actor in their dealings with North Dakota farmers and landowners. Summit has been able to sue landowners who fought them prior to the pipeline being authorized. This is because carbon pipelines have been granted “Common Carrier,” status under the ND Century Code. This status means that landowners worried about their land and safety have to choose between costly and time-consuming legal fees or signing away their rights as landowners to an out-of-state company. Summit will tell you that they have a majority of landowners, yet many have testified to signing with Summit under duress.