The proposed route for a pipeline that would carry crude oil from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota to southern Illinois cuts through Iowa, including Jefferson, Keokuk and Wapello counties. Dakota Access, LLC, a subsidiary of Texas corporation Energy Transfer Partners, filed a petition for a hazardous liquid pipeline permit with the Iowa Utilities Board in January.

Don Tormey, with the utilities board, says before a hearing is held, they are going through the extensive process of reviewing the petition. The public can submit objections, comments and letters of support through the Iowa Utilities Board’s website prior to the hearing, which has not been scheduled.

If the permit is approved, Dakota Access plans to make cash settlements with impacted property owners.

For more information on the arguments for and against the project, listen to our In Touch with Southeast Iowa series on the pipeline.

To find specific information on the project and maps of the pipeline’s proposed route, visit Energy Transfer’s website.

To submit a comment to the Iowa Utilities Board, click here.