Gavel in hearing room

Washington, D.C. Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading consumer energy advocate, today expressed concern with the dangerous precedent of a U.S. District Court judge ordering the Army Corps of Engineers to rework an essential and well-established environmental permit for the already-completed and operational Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

CEA is concerned that unnecessarily shutting down energy infrastructure projects such as DAPL threatens the future of America’s energy reliability and supply, increasing the cost of energy for consumers and creating significant economic hardship – especially as the nation deals with the tremendous financial uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CEA’s “friend of the court” amicus curiae brief urges the U.S. District Court not to revoke the DAPL’s operating easement while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers corrects the judge’s perceived errors in the Corps’ National Environmental Policy Act review. CEA’s arguments demonstrate the immediate, disruptive, and unnecessary economic impacts to American jobs, goods, and families that will result from a Court-ordered shutdown of an operating infrastructure project.

After filing the brief, CEA President David Holt released the following statement:

“Energy and the thousands of essential products made with energy help make up just about everything that touches our lives every day – the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the shampoo we use, the carpet we walk on, and the medication we take. Energy helps power every imaginable American industry, and during this time of great economic uncertainty, it is the most important ingredient for a robust, fast-growing economy.”

“Virtually nothing within the current American economy reaches a consumer without being produced from or transported by a traditional fuel source. Taking the DAPL offline, even temporarily, will have enormous economic consequences for the United States in the form of higher costs for goods Americans need for their everyday lives, because pipelines are the lowest-cost, safest means for transporting fuels. If the cost of fuel goes up, so does the cost of nearly everything else.”

“Currently moving approximately 40% of the Bakken’s oil output per day, eliminating the DAPL could raise the cost of goods and services in the Midwest and Mid-Continent portion of the country, putting economic pressure on fuel markets nationwide – the last thing we need to be doing amid the current economic uncertainty from COVID-19.”

“Court decisions like this and the actions of professional agitators whose goal is suppressing energy development only serve to eliminate the production of safe, affordable sources of energy without offering any viable solutions that will help meet consumer demand and support our emissions goals.”

“Real energy security is not just the presence of abundant natural resources – it is the ability to readily access and deliver them at an affordable price. Our country’s pipeline network plays a critical role powering our homes and businesses and fueling the economy. Policymakers, regulators, and leaders must continue to come together in support our nation’s homegrown energy production and pipeline infrastructure to ensure an essential engine of our economy is in the best shape possible to support our recovery, as it has in every modern financial crisis. Hard-working families, seniors, farmers, and small businesses need the benefits that low prices and reliable energy bring to our communities every day, now more than ever.”

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About Consumer Energy Alliance

Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading consumer advocate for energy, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, our mission is to help ensure stable prices and energy security for households and businesses across the country. CEA works daily to encourage people across the nation to seek sensible, realistic and environmentally responsible solutions to meeting our energy needs. Learn more at ConsumerEnergyAlliance.org.

Contact:

Bryson Hull
P: 202-657-2855
bhull@consumerenergyalliance.org