Dakota Access Pipeline’s Massive Government Subsidies

Oil Change International

September 2016

DOWNLOAD BRIEFING

Dakota Access Pipeline subsidiesThe Dakota Access Pipeline has faced strong resistance from Native Americans, farmers, and ranchers along the proposed pipeline route. It’s also energized the broader climate movement and raised critical questions of protecting clean water, respecting native sovereignty, and rethinking eminent domain for private gain.

This briefing brings to light another egregious aspect of the whole affair – the fact that U.S. taxpayers and ratepayers are heavily subsidizing the primary owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline project, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

The briefing identifies how through their corporate structures as Master Limited Partnerships, key Dakota Access owners Energy Transfer Partners and Enbridge Energy Partners collectively avoided paying over $650 million in taxes in 2015. Additionally, federal pipeline regulations allow companies to charge customers for these taxes they never paid in the first place, leading to even higher subsidies. These are just two of the many subsidies enjoyed by the owners of Dakota Access

Dakota Access is a travesty for a long list of reasons, and its construction should be stopped immediately to protect land, water, native sovereignty, and our climate. But in addition, it’s high time to stop giving away billions of taxpayer dollars to fossil fuel companies.

Download the briefing here.

9 Comments

  • Enough! I am tired of making the rich richer at our expense! Our water and land and all natural resources are being destroyed !!

  • Clearly we must spread the word about this aspect of the attack on our human rights; every taxpayer understands the money angle!

  • Subsidies and deficit spending destroy democracy by moving decisions to backroom dealmakers.

    Publicly discussed and voted bonds are for big projects. This heals democracy with exercise out in the open.

    Green job infrastructure spending? Specify the project and vote. Get it out in the open.

  • We are people too and tired of all thinking they can run all over destroying our country without concern to all the people, not only will the be problem, for DOJ and the start of million of lawsuits that will break them all there will be justice of all

  • This pipeline is not and never has been solely an indigenous issue, this is a global issue, the immediate effect concerns between 2-4 states but the expansion and the threat all of these pipeline projects ensue bring compromise to all people and this planet as our water supplies dwindle rendering our food and land unsuitable for farm crop consumption. Lack of air quality kills our pollinators from being able to propagate grown produce. The chain of this massacre will create a global warfare for drinkable water and disease will run rampant. The circle of nature that big oil breaks today will be the rope that hangs us all tomorrow.

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