Construction has begun in North Dakota, South Dakota and Illinois, but the Iowa Utilities Board has not authorized work to begin. Landowners have filed two lawsuits in northwest Iowa in an attempt to block construction of a $3.8 billion oil pipeline. Houston-based Dakota Access LLC wants to build the pipeline from northwest North Dakota to a storage facility in south-central Illinois. Dakota Access officials have said the company will work with regulators to move forward with construction of the pipeline in Iowa. Eminent domain is the power governments use to take private property for a public purpose in return for fair-market compensation.

Source: ABC News May 22, 2016 11:21 UTC