The Dakota Access Pipeline is an underground pipeline approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and set to be fully functional by the end of 2016.  The pipeline stretches from North Dakota to Illinois, passing through South Dakota and Iowa. The Bakken Formation, where the pipeline starts, is very oil rich, having an estimated 7.4 billion barrels of undiscovered oil. This would allow the pipeline to transport about 470,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

Even though the cost of the pipeline is a cool 3.4 billion dollars, it is expected that its function would generate a huge economic advantage for the country. With the pipeline, many new jobs will be available, something that many families need. It is also estimated that it will generate 156 million dollars in sales and income tax for local governments. This is extremely helpful with the economic state that the United States is currently in. Even with the massive help that the pipeline will bring, many are on edge about its environmental impact.

In the event that pipeline cracks or erupts underground, the crude oil could find its way into the Mississippi River. The manufacturers assure the public that the pipeline is the best way to transport the oil. Yet, some are not convinced and have begun to protest the pipeline entirely. The  Dakota Access Pipeline is a delicate situation between the use of oil when other energy can be used. With this, the pipeline will always be debatable because of the help it could produce within the country and its surrounding communities, but also because of its catastrophic outcomes towards the environment if it were to ever fail.

– Jaqueline Almaraz