Rally brings Bakken pipeline critics, proponents to state capitol

DES MOINES — Kathy Holdefer entered the reception room of Gov. Terry Branstad’s office Thursday at the Iowa State Capitol to describe the beauty of the land surrounding her rural Mingo home — an area in the path of the proposed Dakota Access Crude Oil Pipeline.

The governor did not show to address the several dozen protesters who marched into his office, following a rally against the pipeline project in the Capitol rotunda.

Holdefer has been a vocal opponent of the pipeline since it was first proposed for Jasper and 17 other Iowa counties in mid-2014. She told the governor’s spokesperson she is concerned with a lack of oil spill response training given to local fire departments in the build up to the pipeline’s proposed construction.

Holdefer also said, she is not satisfied with the information given to the Jasper County Board of Supervisors about the pipeline development.

“You go to your county officials and you ask them to engage with the Iowa Utilities Board about this process and the decision. You hear three things,” she said. “One, there isn’t any information to give our small communities or a plan in place to respond to a spill; Two, although they largely agree with me that this pipeline is a bad idea for Iowa, they feel their voice has no place in the process; And three, even though they don’t like the situation, there’s already so much pipe stockpiled in our county that everybody already knows how this is going to come out.”

Activists, landowners and environmentalists from the Iowa Bakken Pipeline Resistance Coalition protested DAPL Thursday and questioned the IUB and Iowa Department of Natural Resources permitting processes. Both agencies are currently reviewing Dakota Access, LLC’s permit application to build the pipeline through 18 Iowa counties. The protesters were met by a similar sized group of labor union workers in favor of the project, looking on from across the hall and the rotunda balcony.

Energy Transfer Partners — the parent company of Dakota Access, LLC — has been pushing the development of the Bakken oil pipeline — stretching from North Dakota to a hub Patoka, Ill. — for the last 1.5 years. The pipeline would carry 570,000 barrels of crude oil per day through the state. ETP is hoping to lay 343.43 miles of underground pipe in Iowa, with 33.73 miles in rural areas of Jasper County from Mingo through rural Reasnor.

The IUB announced Tuesday it will host a public meeting in the hearing room at 1375 E. Court Ave. in Des Moines from Feb. 8-11. According to a meeting notice posted to the the IUB website, the board may consider a motion to hold a closed session to discuss the decision regarding whether to award Dakota Access, LLC a permit to construct the crude oil pipeline and grant eminent domain rights through 18 Iowa counties.

Detractors again Thursday called for Branstad to block the development of the pipeline. In a letter delivered to the governor’s office, the coalition called for the governor to convene a public meeting before IUB deliberations begin.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement activist Nathan Malachowski was one of several Bakken coalition members to take to the podium in the rotunda and question the environmental safety of transporting oil underground via pipeline, calling the energy source outdated. Malachowski challenged the integrity of the IUB process.

“What’s worse, we sort of already know how they’re going to rule, don’t we? While I hope that IUB will stand with Iowans, I’m a little skeptical that that will be the case,” Malachowski said.

Directly across the rotunda, Iowa labor union members and construction workers — who could benefit from temporary jobs created by the pipeline’s construction — stood with signs reading “IA Skilled Trades — Let’s Get to Work! Support DAPL” and “DAPL will support my family.” DAPL supporters observed calmly during chanting, cheering and speeches of the pipeline resisters.

Jeff Woodside, of Pleasantville, is with Local 234 Operators Union. He’s worked on natural gas pipeline job sites in Iowa and hopes to work on a portion of DAPL. ETP has estimated DAPL will produce roughly 2,000 to 4,000 temporary construction jobs for 1 to 2 years.

“I have every intention of being on the pipeline,” Woodside said. “I was on a pipeline job that was up in Marshalltown, and I can tell you from being on that there’s nothing better than having a pipeline come through for job creation when we put it in and in the future. People have to maintain it.”

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com