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 North Dakota’s 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.
Benefits
The pipeline supports American oil production and provides millions in tax dollars each year that can be used to support schools, hospitals, emergency services and other ongoing needs. Between 2017 – 2023, the Dakota Access Pipeline paid more than $222 million in property taxes.
The Facts
The pipeline is buried underground across four states. It does not encroach or cross any land owned by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. In fact, it transports approximately 60% of the oil produced by the MHA Nation in North Dakota.
Safety
Safety is our top priority. The Dakota Access Pipeline is one of the most technologically advanced and safest pipelines ever built. It is entirely underground and exceeds federal safety requirements.
Landowners
We are committed to building and maintaining strong, positive relationships with all landowners and stakeholders. It is our intent to live up to our promises of openness, honesty and responsiveness.
About
Increased domestic crude oil production translates into greater energy security, lower trade deficit, and boosted economic growth. Pipelines enable the crude oil to safely reach refining and manufacturing markets where it can be used to make products that Americans use every day.
Community
We are committed to being a good neighbor, business partner, and valued member of local communities. Between 2017 – 2022, Energy Transfer and the Dakota Access Pipeline contributed nearly $12 million in donations across the four states through which the pipeline traverses.
Take Back the Truth – is an Energy Transfer website dedicated to setting the record straight, not only on oil and gas – the lifeblood of our modern society – but our projects and our company. Oil and gas have enabled the benefits we enjoy in our everyday lives. Opponents of oil and gas have increasingly targeted energy projects through misinformation, protests, lawfare and misinformation, hurting a strategic U.S. industry that employs more than 11 million Americans, and negatively impacting our country’s economic stability.