The Dakota Access Pipeline Has Had Its First Leak Despite The Fact It Is Not Operational

By Luke Miller Truth Theory

The controversial pipeline leaked 84 gallons of oil in South Dakota.

Early last month the DAPL leaked 84 gallons of oil in South Dakota. This adds to the argument from the indigenous tribes that the pipeline is a danger to their water supply and needs to be further reviewed for environmental safety.

The incident which took place on April 4 spilled 84 gallons of oil, despite the fact that it is still not operational. The state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DERN) shared a report on its searchable database, however they did not release the information to the public.

DERN spokesman Brian Walsh said that the spill was relatively small and the state doesn’t share information on spills unless they feel they are a threat to public health or water supplies.

He said “We realize Dakota Access gets a lot of attention. We also try to treat all of our spills in a consistent manner,” Walsh said. “We treated this as we would treat any other 84-gallon oil spill.”

In response to the spill Native American spokesman Dallas Goldtooth has said:

“This spill serves as a reminder that it is not a matter of if a pipeline spills, it’s a matter of when a pipeline spills. The fact that this occurred before Dakota Access even becomes operational is all the more concerning. We fear more spills will come to bear, which is an all too frequent situation with Energy Transfer Partners pipeline projects. As such, eyes of the world are watching and will keep Dakota Access and Energy Transfer Partners accountable.”

The South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has said they will not be fining Energy Transfer Partners — the company behind the spill, as they consider it to small-  DENR spokesman Welsh said. “Size-wise, an 84-gallon release is pretty small relative to a lot of other things we work on,”

IMAGE CREDIT:rufous / 123RF Stock Photo