Legal and Regulatory Certainty is Vital to Our Ability to Build Energy Infrastructure, Especially for Pipelines that Deliver Oil and Natural Gas

WASHINGTON  – As a District Court ruled to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline and Dominion Energy and Duke Energy faced additional permitting hurdles and decided to cancel the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, US independent producers of oil and natural gas underscored how legal and regulatory certainty is vital to our ability to build energy infrastructure.

“Safe and reliable infrastructure is necessary for our ability to produce and deliver affordable, reliable, and sustainable oil and natural gas to American families and businesses. With the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline experiences becoming the norm, the ability of the US developing necessary infrastructure to support our growing demand for energy, jobs, and environmental benefits is uncertain,” said AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury. “Without permits, we cannot build, and without pipelines, we cannot provide jobs and meet our growing energy needs.  Congress must pass permitting reforms to meet our country’s growing energy needs and bring our communities the jobs and affordable energy they need now and into the future.”

Pipelines are proven to deliver oil and natural gas in a safe and environmentally protective way from producers to communities around the country. The Dakota Access Pipeline and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline could have provided more American families and businesses with access to affordable and reliable energy.

Methane emissions from oil and natural gas systems are down 23 percent since 1990, according to the 2020 edition of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. Technologies that include more advanced leak detection equipment and innovative capture techniques are driving this decrease in emissions during a time when oil and natural gas production increased dramatically.

“Blocking domestic infrastructure projects will only hurt US workers and make our country more reliant on foreign energy,” said Bradbury.

The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is the safest and most environmentally sensitive way to transport crude oil from domestic wells to Americans. The Dakota Access Pipeline created roughly 10,000 jobs during construction and is a critical link from the Bakken formation, which supports more than 80,000 North Dakota jobs.[i]

Across West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s construction alone would have created 17,000 new jobs and $2.7 billion in economic activity and generated $28 million in annual property tax revenue for local governments.[ii]  And, once operational, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would have saved families and businesses an estimated millions each year on their energy costs, which is especially important during our economic recovery.[iii]

Energy exports from the United States reached an all-time high in 201 9, marking the first time in 67 years that annual U.S. gross energy exports exceeded U.S. gross energy imports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Monthly Energy Review. Gross U.S. energy imports in 2019 were the lowest since 1995 and last year was the first year when the U.S. exported more energy than it imported since 1952.

About the American Exploration and Production Council:

AXPC is a national trade association representing the largest independent oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States. We lead the world in the cleanest and safest onshore production of oil and gas, while supporting millions of Americans in high-paying jobs and investing a wealth of resources in our communities. Learn more at https://axpc.org/


[i] “About” Dakota Access Pipeline https://daplpipelinefacts.com/About.html
[ii]“Jobs and Economic Growth” Atlantic Coast Pipeline https://atlanticcoastpipeline.com/about/benefits.aspx
[iii] ibid

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