There's much debate over whether matches made on Tinder can actually result in lasting, healthy, long-term relationships, or if the online dating app is only good for one-and-done hookups. Recently, Iowa was matched up with Dakota Access, LLC. In this case, Iowa is our "Jessie."
Well, we're slowly realizing is that what Dakota Access actually meant by that was that it couldn't wait for the Iowa Utilities Board to hand our land over like an object to be obtained or a piece of meat to be devoured. Thanks to the little "elves" who are supposed to be looking out for our best interests, the proposed Bakken Pipeline project was approved 3-0, with little to no publicity or resistance.
The Bakken Pipeline will transport crude oil from North Dakota oil reserves to Patoka, Illinois. It will stretch over 1,100 miles, splitting the state of Iowa in half diagonally, and it will transport an estimated 570,000 barrels of oil daily.
What's more: the Iowa Utilities Board granted permission for unforfeited land to be seized via eminent domain. That's right, the lovely state of Iowa is enforcing eminent domain for the benefit of a private, out-of-state corporation. Sure, landowners are fighting back in an ongoing lawsuit, but if you haven't noticed, cries from the people regarding the pipeline have only been ignored by those in power. Is this going to be any different? I certainly hope so.
This isn't about job creation.
The number of permanent full-time positions that will be available to Iowans post-construction: less than ten. Did you hear that? Less. Than. Ten.
This isn't about energy independence, either.
Much of the oil from this pipeline will likely be exported from the Gulf Coast. Also, oil is a dirty, finite resource, and we're facing a global climate crisis. Ignoring it doesn't make it go away. We need clean, reliable alternative fuel resources, and we need them soon. So why do we keep putting this off?
This isn't just any oil, folks.
Crude oil poses a "significant fire risk" due to a "lower flash point to ignition." A permanent 50-foot easement after construction is necessary so as to not disturb the pipeline.
A spill or leak from Bakken would be harmful to all of us, to our wildlife, and to the quality of our water and soil.
Clean-up efforts take years - decades in some cases - and may not even be effective. Let's not forget that taxpayers will fund this, and it's going to cost millions.
Even without a leak or spill, perhaps one of the most alarming threats is to our soil.
We are an agricultural state responsible for growing a significant portion of the world's food. Soil as fertile as ours is rare, and we don't cherish that enough. The pipeline "will be a barrier that disrupts the natural system of water movement" through the soil, a system that has developed itself over the last few thousand years. Temperature changes to the soil surrounding the pipeline could affect freezing and thawing cycles, which could in turn yield an increase in crop diseases and serious weed problems.
Let me be clear here: Iowa gets next to nothing out of this deal.
But the fight isn't over.
Shailene Woodley has been fighting alongside Standing Rock Reservation of North Dakota to keep the pipeline off their land, as the proposed route is a threat to their water supply and violates their treaty with the United States government. Help them out by signing this petition and donating to their cause.
At this point, one of the most important things you can do is to make your voice heard. Make phone calls. Write letters to the editor. Sign petitions. Make sure that politicians responsible for the pipeline decision aren't reelected. Learn their names. Make sure something like this doesn't happen again.
Nothing changes if you aren't involved. Nothing changes if you don't do something about it. Don't sit back and complain about the consequences. Swipe left before they happen.
