MOVING AMERICA’S ENERGY

DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE

Safely operating since June of 2017, the Dakota Access Pipeline is a 1,172-mile underground 30" pipeline transporting crude oil from the Bakken/Three Forks production area in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. It is the safest and most efficient means to transport crude oil from the geographically constrained region, providing better access to Gulf Coast and Midwest refineries and other downstream markets. By transporting oil on the Dakota Access Pipeline, the equivalent of 3,000 tanker trucks is removed from the roads every day. Similarly, the pipeline removes the equivalent of 815 rail cars that would cross through neighborhoods and over waterways every day.

According to a September 12, 2025, article published in the Grand Forks Herald, the Dakota Access Pipeline has boosted the state economy by transporting more oil to out-of-state refineries, creating jobs, supporting the state oil industry and easing congestion on North Dakota’s rail infrastructure. The reduced transportation costs have resulted in North Dakota directly benefiting to the tune of somewhere around $750 million in additional proceeds for North Dakota public use since DAPL went online, according to state data.