LIUNA Lends Expertise at Dakota Access Pipe Line Hearing

Minneapolis, MN (June 25, 2015) -- Members of the Laborers International Union of America (LIUNA) announced today their plans to provide support, expert testimony, and lunch for participants at a scheduled hearing on the Dakota Access Pipeline which will take place Friday in Williston, ND.

The last of three Public Service Commission hearings on the $3.8 billion project will take place at 9 a.m. at Williston's Ernie French Center, located at 14120 Highway 2.

The Dakota Access Pipe Line (DAPL) is a 1,134-mile, 30-inch diameter pipeline that will connect the Bakken and Three Forks shale formations in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. The pipeline will enable domestically produced light sweet crude oil from North Dakota to reach major refining markets in a cost-effective, safe, and environmentally responsible manner.

DAPL will reduce the current use of rail and truck transportation to move Bakken crude oil to major U.S. markets to support domestic demand. It will transport approximately 450,000 barrels per day with a capacity as high as 570,000 barrels per day or more – half of Bakken daily crude oil production. DAPL is expected to significantly reduce rail congestion, making it easier for farmers and others to move goods to market.

LIUNA representatives say their goal is to address the concerns of local landowners, and explain how the union trains its members to build safe pipelines and restore land to its original condition.

"We're trained to take care of the right-of-way like it's our own back yard," says East Grand Forks resident Matt Duncombe, a LIUNA union steward who has led environmental crews. "I understand why people are worried: they're tired of having their land messed up by fly-by-night contractors. What I can tell you is that my members and I don't go home until the land has been restored to its original state, if not better."

Jesse Reinert, a certified instructor who teaches Pipeline Safety at the Laborers Training Center in Lino Lakes, MN and Mandan, ND, will testify at the hearing about the extensive training LIUNA members typically receive before they begin work on a pipeline.

"Our union contractors demand the best, so my job is to make sure every member we send to a pipeline crew has the knowledge and skills they need to do right by the contractor, owner, and the landownerc.

Pamela Link, LIUNA's Director of Governmental Affairs and Business Development said that this type of support is needed to make all stakeholders understand the Laborers' position on the issues.

"Our members always turnout in big numbers to show their solidarity," she said. "Our members are ready to work. We respect the process, but we are excited to get our boots dirty and build this pipeline right."

About Us

Chartered in 1968 by the Laborers International Union of North America, LiUNA, the Laborers District Council of MN and ND and its seven affiliated Local Unions represent about 12,000 workers in Minnesota, North Dakota and Northwestern Wisconsin. For more information check out their website or Facebook page http://www.minnesotalaborers.org or http://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaLaborers.