Tribal traditions, concern over grave sites and the habitat has prompted the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa (Meskwakis) to voice objection to a proposed pipeline project accross the State of Iowa.

In a letter filed on Feb. 19 with the Iowa Utilities Board, Judith Bender, chair of the Meskwaki Tribe at Tama, raised issues with the Dakota Access LLC pipeline which would cross the state through 18 counties.The petition for a hazardous liquid pipeline permit was filed with the Iowa Utilities Board on Jan. 20, 2015.

Bender, in objecting to allowance for the construction, claims the route would run across San and Fox protected lands and would not “comply with the Native American Graves and Repapration Act” She further charged a Dakota Access vice president said he was unware of this act during a public hearing.

Concerns about ground water contamination and the State of Iowa being able to adequately monitor the line were raised.

Bender went so far to suggest if the controversial Keystone Pipeline is defeated the Dakota Access Pipeline might be used in it’s place.

Tama County is not included in the route across Iowa, but Native American Tribes do lay claim to certain other lands under old treaties which would not be part of the current makeup of the Settlement here.

Comment Sought

The Iowa Utilities Board said:

Anyone seeking to file objections, comments, and letters of support in this docket may do so by using the Iowa Utilities Board’s Electronic Filing System (EFS), citing the docket number, and clicking on the “Submit Filing” tab and following all instructions to log-in as a guest, upload documents and receive a filing ID number. After the filing has been processed, the filer will receive e-mail notification including a link to the filing. If a filing is rejected, the filer will receive an automatic e-mail rejection notice from the IUB EFS Help Desk, along with a reason for the rejection.

Notification of a rejected filing will not be provided to other parties on the service list or to the Office of Consumer Advocate or to Board staff.

All documents in a rejected filing must be re-submitted once the appropriate corrections have been made. Persons lacking computer access may file written comments by mailing them to the Iowa Utilities Board, Executive Secretary, Docket No. HLP-2014-0001, 1375 E. Court Ave., Rm 69, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0069. For help, contact the EFS Help Desk Monday through Friday, except State holidays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., phone: (515) 725-7337.