DES MOINES – The dramatic drop in oil prices recently has not affected a Texas energy company’s plans to build a 1,100-mile pipeline through the Dakotas, Iowa and Illinois, a company spokeswoman says.

The pipeline would connect the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota with a regional shipping hub in Illinois. Completion is slated for late 2016.

Vicki Granado, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, said plans are moving forward to seek Iowa regulatory approval for the project. It would place 343 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipe across 18 counties in Iowa, from the northwest tip of the state to the southeast corner. In Northwest Iowa, the route would pass through Lyon, Sioux, O’Brien, Cherokee, Buena Vista and Sac counties.

“We’re on track,” said Granado, who expected ETP officials to file documentation around Jan. 16 seeking Iowa Utilities Board approval for a permit to start the project early next year.

“It’s a long process to work through. We’re under way in the process and we hope we get to a positive end,” she said.

Concerns were raised during public information meetings held in December about the potential for spills, environmental damage or other problems. But Granado said the company viewed the dialogue around the project as positive.

The underground pipeline eventually could move up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily through Iowa

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