PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — State regulators have granted a construction permit for a pipeline that will cross through South Dakota as it carries North Dakota oil to Patoka, Illinois.
The Public Utilities Commission voted 2-1 to approve the state’s portion of the 1,130-mile Dakota Access Pipeline at a Monday meeting.
The project proposed by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners will move at least 450,000 barrels of crude daily from the Bakken oil patch in North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa to a hub in Patoka.
Opponents are concerned about possible harm to the environment.
The panel granted the permit with conditions. Company spokeswoman Vicki Granado says South Dakota is the first state to make a decision about the pipeline.
She says the project will provide a safe, environmentally responsible way to transport crude oil.