IUB continues oil pipeline town halls with stop in Newton

Jasper County landowners had their opportunity to ask questions of representatives from the Iowa Utilities Board and Texas-based oil company Energy Transfer Partners Thursday during a public meeting at DMACC Newton Campus, detailing a proposed oil pipeline which —if approved — will be laid through 18 Iowa counties.

The series of town hall-style events began Monday and are required by Iowa law to be held in each affected county before the company can apply for a building permit to begin construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Officials will also meet with landowners at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Ankeny Parks and Recreation Lakeside Center. The underground pipeline will ship crude oil from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota, to connecting pipelines and refineries in Patoka, Ill.

IUB and pipeline officials explained the construction and land reclamation process, time line for approval and completion and took questions from citizens on a range of topics from the use of local labor and construction resources to environmental impact.

With the local meeting complete, IUB Manager of Safety and Engineering Don Stursma informed the crowd ET now has the ability to survey potentially affected properties in Jasper County, but Dakota Access officials expressed their intent to contact landowners before proceeding on private property.

ET plans to apply for a building permit in January. If the IUB approves the project, construction is slated to begin in the third quarter 2015 with pipeline service projected to start in the fourth quarter 2016.

A small group of demonstrators were present at the event but did not disrupt the flow of the meeting.

See a full recap of Thursday's meeting and what the pipeline means for local landowners and tax revenue in Friday's edition of the Newton Daily News.