(Bismarck, ND) Some 200 workers involved in construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline have signed a letter calling on North Dakota’s elected officials to ensure that every pipeline is built to the same high standards as DAPL.  

The letter describes the pipeline industry as “under attack by like never before,” and calls on state leaders to ensure that “every pipeline is built to the same high standards as Dakota Access” in order to prevent environmental and incidents that the workers say threaten the “future of our industry.”

In June, North Dakota’s Industrial Commission approved what the letter describes as “sensible rules” for the construction and operation of largely unregulated gathering pipelines that were scheduled to take effect on October 1, but implementation was delayed and is currently under review. State officials estimated that some 1,500 additional miles of gathering pipeline will be built without new rules as a result of the delay (Legislative Delay Means New Pipeline Rules Will Miss This Construction Season).

The workers argue that, in the absence of the new rules, a handful of problem operators will “ruin it for everyone else by building leaky pipelines that damage the state’s natural resources and the reputation of our industry.” The problems cited in the letter have been documented extensively by the University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environment Research Center as well as news reports and a recently launched website dedicated to promoting quality pipeline construction in North Dakota: www.BuildBetterND.org.

According to the union, copies of the letter are being sent to the Governor, Attorney General, and Agriculture Commissioner, who all serve on the Industrial Commission, as well as members of the state legislature.

Click below to see the full letter: