One of the notable business events that have sparked worldwide debate relates to the Dakota Access pipeline project, which is facing a wide array of challenges on the areas of its implementations attributed to several key disputes. In the news article, Attorney Calls for Sanctions in Dakota Access Pipeline Suit , The Associate Press (2018) argues that the project is facing a major hurdle attributed to the fact that it is facing a looming lawsuit from different state agencies. The issue in the article revolves around the idea that the project is considered as having devastating effects on the natural environment. However, on its part, the project management, argues that the lawsuit only seeks to curtail its efforts towards implementing the project with little or no regard of the efforts that the company is undertaking in preventing damages to the natural environment.
The company involved in this project, registered under the publication Energy Transfer Partners, argues that it is acting in accordance with the set out standards in the petroleum industry in mitigating some of the underlying risk factors. However, The Associate Press (2018) points out that Earth First Journal, which is a journal involved in publications on conservation of the environment, has been on the forefront in suggesting that Energy Transfer is not acting in good faith in its approach to environmental conservation. Thus, this has sparked debate not only within the United States but also in other others on the impacts that pipeline projects tend to have on the natural environment. The debate revolves around the possibility of dealing with the underlying challenges associated with the projects considering that states or federal governments fund most of these projects as part of promoting infrastructure development.
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The article evaluates some of the underlying lawsuits that Energy Transfers has been involved in as part of its approach towards promoting stakeholder confidence on the pipeline project, which is expected to have notable impacts on the economic status of North Dakota and the country, as a whole. In one the lawsuits, filed by Energy Transfers against Earth First Journal, the company argues that the journal is involved in publications of information that does not necessarily reflect on the accurate position of the project (The Associate Press, 2018). The company argues that the initial adoption phase of this project involved an in-depth analysis of the underlying environmental impacts that it may have on the environment to determine its viability. The findings, published in the environmental reports, suggested that the impacts associated with the Dakota Access pipeline project would be minimal, as the company has put in place mitigating measures.
On its part, Earth First Journal argues that the partners at Energy Transfers were involved in corruption including cases of bribery with an aim of ensuring that the environmental findings would favor the overall outcomes of the company’s expectation to build the project. The journal argues that the findings of the environmental reports do not provide conclusive evidence that would support the position that the Dakota Access pipeline project is more viable when compared to the environmental impact. In overall, this has raised notable concern among political leaders in the state, most of who have questioned the applicability of the project and the company’s ability to minimize environmental impacts. Most of these leaders have called for further inquiry into the environment impact assessment reports with an aim of determining whether they present an accurate understanding of the environmental impacts associated with the Dakota Access pipeline project.
References
The Associate Press. (2018, February 9). Attorney Calls for Sanctions in Dakota Access Pipeline Suit . Retrieved February 10, 2018 from https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/02/09/us/ap-us-oil-pipeline-etp-lawsuit.html
