Energy Transfer Partners LP (NYSE: ETP), the company behind the Dakota Access pipeline, has bought more than 6,000 acres of land adjacent to the line's route in North Dakota, parcels the Standing Rock Sioux tribe says contain historical artifacts, according to media reports.
According to a deed filed with officials in Morton County, N.D., David and Brenda Meyer sold 20 parcels of land totaling more than 6,000 acres to Dakota Access LLC this week. The price was not disclosed, according to North Dakota's Forum News Service, which first reported the sale on Sept. 23.
The land includes a plot along the pipeline route where protesters and the company have clashed in recent weeks. Protesters claim the land contains burial grounds.
RELATED: Bakken Pipeline Under Siege After Obama Sidesteps His Own Judge
The Meyers had already signed easements for the pipeline. The sale gives Dakota Access effective control of one of the more controversial parts of the route.
The Meyers had paid the federal government for cattle grazing rights on a plot of land currently occupied by the Sioux and other pipeline protesters, Forum said.
When fully connected to existing lines, the 1,100-mile (1,770 km) Dakota Access pipeline would be the first to carry crude oil from the Bakken Shale, a vast oil formation in North Dakota, Montana and parts of Canada, directly to the U.S. Gulf.
Energy Transfer Partners did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The land deal is a blow to the Sioux and other protesters who claim the pipeline would damage ancient burial sites and pose an environmental risk to the tribe's water supply. Federal oil pipeline regulators do not have authority over private land and cannot block construction on it.
The U.S. Justice Department and other federal agencies intervened to delay construction on the pipeline earlier this month in what industry and labor representatives called an "unprecedented" move after a judge blocked a lawsuit from the Sioux to halt the project.
Recommended Reading
Brett: Oil M&A Outlook is Strong, Even With Bifurcation in Valuations
2024-04-18 - Valuations across major basins are experiencing a very divergent bifurcation as value rushes back toward high-quality undeveloped properties.
Marketed: BKV Chelsea 214 Well Package in Marcellus Shale
2024-04-18 - BKV Chelsea has retained EnergyNet for the sale of a 214 non-operated well package in Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming counties, Pennsylvania.
Defeating the ‘Four Horseman’ of Flow Assurance
2024-04-18 - Service companies combine processes and techniques to mitigate the impact of paraffin, asphaltenes, hydrates and scale on production — and keep the cash flowing.
Santos’ Pikka Phase 1 in Alaska to Deliver First Oil by 2026
2024-04-18 - Australia's Santos expects first oil to flow from the 80,000 bbl/d Pikka Phase 1 project in Alaska by 2026, diversifying Santos' portfolio and reducing geographic concentration risk.
Ozark Gas Transmission’s Pipeline Supply Access Project in Service
2024-04-18 - Black Bear Transmission’s subsidiary Ozark Gas Transmission placed its supply access project in service on April 8, providing increased gas supply reliability for Ozark shippers.