More commonly known as "DAPL", what was once a national flashpoint between law enforcement and fossil fuel opponents has been largely forgotten.
The Dakota Access Pipeline’s safety record to date is quite impressive—the pipeline has been entirely free from significant incidents.
Energy Transfer Partners, the company that had the pipeline built, says that it intentionally overbuilt the line, often going above and beyond federal safety regulations.
This despite data from the federal government, which continues to show that pipelines are extremely safe.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the federal agency responsible for oversight safety of the nation’s 2.6 million miles of lines, pipelines remain the safest way to transport large volumes of energy products.
Without new pipelines like DAPL, oil will be forced onto rail cars, trucks, and even barges which would undermine environmental safety given recent news from the U.S. Department of Energy that America continues to producer more oil and gas than any other nation.
The Energy Department’s Energy Information Agency says that since 2008, “U.S.
petroleum and natural gas production has increased by nearly 60 percent.” The agency says that “production is expected to increase, reaching 17.6 million b/d in 2018 and 19.1 million b/d in 2019, up from 15.6 million b/d in 2017.” Continuing domestic production requires supporting infrastructure, and when it comes to safety, efficiency, and cost, pipelines will remain the preferred choice of transportation for decades to come, or until the country no longer needs oil and gas products to support the economy.
The Dakota Access Pipeline has much to celebrate on its first year in service.
For proponents, it shows once again that oil can be safely transported in significant volumes.