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In the run up to the 2020 presidential election, a number of candidates have released policy proposals that could have major implications for our nation’s energy infrastructure.  Some of these policy proposals could actually cause more harm to the environment.

The latest example comes from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who vows to revoke the permits for the Dakota Access (DAPL) and Keystone XL (KXL) pipelines.

From her plan to “Honor and Empower Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples”:

Energy development that may affect tribal interests requires true and meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations and real efforts to ensure we are meeting

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST) recently filed a motion in federal court to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has been safely operating for more than two years now. As with previous legal filings, the tribe’s latest filing misrepresents or ignores inconvenient facts that discredit their years-long bid to halt the lawfully permitted project.

Here are four key facts missing from the latest legal filing:

1. The SRST wasn’t “vigorously opposed [to] the siting of the pipeline from its inception.”

As we’ve discussed before, the SRST largely refused to participate in the US Army Corps’ exhaustive review of …

CLAIM: Environmental activists are pressing presidential candidates to take a pledge to block the Keystone XL pipeline. The pledge calls on candidates to revoke permits issued by the President for the Keystone XL.  It also calls on candidates to revoke permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has been safely transporting crude oil for more than two years.

“Our next president needs to listen to the science that says we can’t build new fossil fuel projects and fight climate change at the same time, not the polluters who say we don’t have a choice,” Greenpeace USA climate campaigner Charlie …

As we’ve highlighted previously , the Dakota Access Pipeline underwent a rigorous multi-agency permitting process prior to being built.

Before beginning construction, Dakota Access was required to obtain permits from regulatory agencies in each of the states that it traversed. These reviews, which were independent of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ own detailed analysis, involved extensive outreach of landowners, state agencies, local governments, public interest groups, tribes, and various other stakeholders.

In North Dakota, this process was led by the North Dakota Public Service Commission (NDPSC), an elected three-person state board responsible for regulating electric and natural gas utilities, …

CLAIM: Many Democratic Presidential candidates have put forward policy positions that would have devastating impacts for our nation’s energy industry.  That includes labeling the energy industry a “criminal enterprise,” as well as some candidates calling for a “total moratorium” on fossil fuel leases on public lands.

Some examples:

“[Bernie] believes we should keep fossil fuels in the ground and instead use renewable energy and sustainable energy while improving energy efficiency.” – Bernie Sanders campaign website.

“I’m proud to be an original supporter of the Green New Deal… I support returning to the Paris Agreement and …