Billionaire Behind the Dakota Access Is ‘Baffled’ by Complaints About His New Pipeline
- Blackstone Group agrees to buy stake in Rover Pipeline company
- Energy Transfer fighting to build gas pipeline in U.S. East
Kelcy Warren
Photographer: John L. Mone/AP PhotoThis article is for subscribers only.
Billionaire pipeline magnate Kelcy Warren, who just months ago defeated environmentalists to finish his controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline, has stepped into the limelight once again -- this time, to defend a natural gas line being built across the eastern U.S.
In a letter to U.S. lawmakers Monday, Warren said he was “baffled” by federal energy regulators’ allegations that his company, Energy Transfer Partners LP, violated rules in building the $4.2 billion, 700-mile (1,127-kilometer) Rover gas pipeline and defended how the project has been constructed. That same day, his company reached a deal to sell a 32 percent stake in its Rover unit to Blackstone Group LP for about $1.57 billion in cash.