Pipeline delays cost builder millions, risking contract loss
DES MOINES, Iowa — The completion of the Dakota Access oil pipeline has been delayed after the U.S. Army declined to grant an easement for the final few thousand feet under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota pending further study. Pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners originally was expected to finish the pipeline before the end of this year, but the Army’s move likely delays it by several months. That will be costly to the Dallas-based company, but industry experts say it’s unlikely to kill the project completely.