The Biden administration will decide the fate of the Dakota Access pipeline, which was approved by former President Donald Trump in 2017 after being denied by former President Barack Obama, following a court-ordered environmental review.
More than 200 celebrities recently sent a letter to Biden asking him to permanently shut the pipeline due to its impact on the environment and its impact on the Indigenous people who live in the area.
The Biden administration did not respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
The Dakota Access pipeline transports 570,000 barrels of oil each day from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota through South Dakota, Iowa and to an oil terminal in Illinois. It is the safest and most efficient way to transport the oil, according to operator Energy Transfer Partners.
Efforts to stop the delivery of that energy will “hit the American people directly in the pocketbook,” said Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs at the American Petroleum Institute.
Agricultural economist Elaine Kub said in a legal filing last fall that shutting down the Dakota Access pipeline would cost Corn Belt farmers more than $1 billion in annual revenue and “drive up food costs for consumers” as oil would command keyspace on railroad cars needed to transport agricultural products long distances.