Branstad, T gov

<div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/12/trump-just-wrapped-nice-double-gift-meat-industry

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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></div><div> Wednesday, the incoming chief executive showed his willingness to make good on his promises to keep ag exports booming and gut environmental regulations on farms.<b> Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Trump's pick to serve as ambassador to China, has been promoting trade between his state's massive hog and soybean farms and China since the 1980s, when Branstad served the first of his two stints as governor. </b>Then there's Scott Pruitt, Trump's choice to run the EPA. The Oklahoma attorney general is most famous for his climate change skepticism and ties to the oil industry, but he's also tightly aligned with his state's farm interests.</div><div>
</div><div>Here's a quick rundown of why Trump's big Wednesday personnel choices amount to twin gifts to Big Ag. </div><div>
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</div><div>• Branstad is enmeshed with Iowa's agribusiness interests. His chief patron is Bruce Rastetter, CEO of the sprawling Summit Agriculture Group, a major Iowa pork and ethanol producer with interests in Brazil. Politico describes <b>Rastetter as an "agribusiness mogul who's made a fortune in pork, ethanol and farm real estate." Branstad credits </b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Rastetter with convincing him to run for Iowa governorship in 2010.</b> (Branstad had previously served as governor from 1983 to 1999.) Rastetter then backed up the idea by plying the candidate with $164,875 in donations in 2010—Branstad's biggest contributor that year. (His second-biggest contribution, at $152,000, was from Eldon and Regina Roth—Eldon Rothi is CEO of Beef Products International, maker of "lean finely textured beef," known in some quarters as "pink slime.")</span></div><div>
</div><div>Once elected, Branstad quickly raised hackles by appointing his patron to the University of Iowa's board of regents. Rastetter now serves as president of the university's board, and his tenure has been marked by steady controversy (see here, and here). His business, Summit, was "awarded $480,000 in no-interest loans from an Iowa State University center a few months after he joined the school's governing board," the Des Moines Register reports. He also "pursued a deal with the Tanzanian government that would hav<b>e used Iowa State University's expertise to develop farmland there and, in the original proposal, would have displaced refugees," the Register adds. The university ended up backing away from the plan after controversy around the refugees erupte</b>d. Through it all, Branstad resisted activist calls to "fire Rastetter" from his perch on the regents board.</div><div>
</div><div>Branstad wasn't satisfied just to appoint one generous Rastetter to a powerful state board. Back in 2011, the governor also tapped Rastetter's brother Brent, who then ran a business constructing industrial-scale hog-rearing facilities and who also contributed to Branstad's campaign, to the state's Environmental Protection Commission.<b> Branstad also signed into law one of those infamous "ag gag" bills, championed by Big Ag, that make it a crime to secretly document conditions inside livestock farms.</b></div><div>
</div><div>When Branstad is installed as ambassador to China, Iowa's ag interests will have a strong advocate pushing to keep exports flowing east. Just last month, the governor led a trade mission there, traveling with the heads of the Iowa Pork Producers Association and the Iowa Beef Industry Council. And that's crucial—with US meat consumption growing slowly,<b> China has emerged as a key market for the handful of companies that dominate US meat production, as I show here. Indeed, the biggest US pork producer, Smithfield, is now a Chinese-owned company.</b></div><div>
</div><div>In 2015, the Humane Society sued Pruitt for what it called a "nearly yearlong campaign of political harassment and public vilification" against the group.</div><div>• Oklahoma's Pruitt, soon to take responsibility for executing US environmental policy, is also quite a piece of work. The EPA is already under heavy criticism for weak regulation of pollution from the very kind of large-scale, concentrated livestock favored by Branstad and his patron Rastetter in Iowa. Like Iowa, Oklahoma has a heavy concentration of large-scale, confined animal operations—see Food and Water Watch's "Factory Farm Map" for the state. Pruitt, too, enjoys strong support from his state's agriculture interests, and has thundered against EPA farm regulations.</div><div>
</div><div>To be fair, Pruitt is hostile to the EPA in its entirety, not just in its capacity as a watchdog of farm pollution. On his LinkedIn page, Pruitt boasts that he's a "leading advocate against the EPA's activist agenda." But while his ties to the fossil fuel industry are well known, his chumminess with his state's ag interests are also worth noting. This year, he hotly supported State Question 777,  informally known as a "right to farm" law, which would have restricted efforts by the state or localities to regulate farms—a blatant attempt to protect large-scale operations. The initiatives's supporters, led by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. and the Oklahoma Pork Council, spent about $1 million promoting it. Opponents, led by the Humane Society of the US, also spent around $1 million.</div><div>
</div><div>Oklahoma voters shot down the measure by a 60-40 margin, but it didn't lose for lack of effort by Pruitt. Back in 2014, Pruitt launched an investigation of of the Humane Society, which was organizing opposition to the Right to Farm proposal. In 2015, HSUS hit back, suing Pruitt for what it called a "nearly yearlong campaign of political harassment and public vilification" against the animal welfare group. HSUS ultimately dropped the suit after the attorney general's office announced it was no longer investigating HSUS.</div><div>
</div><div>Meanwhile, Pruitt's relations with meat industry interests flourished. In August 2015, the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association honored him with its Distinguished Service Award, given to "individuals who have contributed to the success of the OCA and the Oklahoma beef cattle industry."</div><div>
</div><div>And just last month, days before the presidential election, he keynoted the Oklahoma Farm Bureau's annual convention. In his speech, he lambasted EPA overreach, complaining that the agency is "affecting farmers and ranchers, it's affecting oil and gas."</div><div>
</div><div>About that: Farmers and ranchers are indeed suffering—but government overreach is the least of their problems.</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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<div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/07/us/politics/terry-branstad-china-ambassador-trump.html?r=0"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" color="#000000">http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/07/us/politics/terry-branstad-china-ambassador-trump.html?r=0</font></a></div>

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<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="319" data-total-count="319" times="times" new="new" max-width="max-width:" width="width:" color="color:" background-color="background-color:" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em 60px; line-height: 1.625rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WASHINGTON — Terry Branstad, the Iowa governor who has long embraced <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/china/index.html?inline=nyt-geo" title="More news and information about China." class="meta-loc">China</a> as a market for his state’s pork and soybeans, was tapped Wednesday by President-elect <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/donald-trump?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Donald J. Trump." class="meta-per">Donald J. Trump</a> to represent the United States in one of its most complex and increasingly contentious foreign relationships, as his ambassador to China.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In choosing Mr. Branstad, 70, an amiable politician who likes to describe President <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/x/xi_jinping/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Xi Jinping." class="meta-per">Xi Jinping</a> of China as an “old friend,” Mr. Trump sounded a softer note alongside his unrelenting criticism of China’s economic relationship with the United States.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At an event on Wednesday morning at Cipriani restaurant in Manhattan to raise money for his inauguration, Mr. Trump told the audience that Mr. Branstad was a great choice. “He knows them all,” Mr. Trump said three separate times, according to an attendee. The selection was first reported by Bloomberg News.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">China was quick to embrace the choice, even before Mr. Trump’s announcement. At a regular news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Lu Kang, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.cn/web/fyrbt_673021/t1422151.shtml">described Mr. Branstad</a> as “an old friend of the Chinese people,” a phrase used to describe politicians trusted by Beijing. “We would welcome him playing a bigger role in promoting Sino-American relations,” Mr. Lu said of Mr. Branstad.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As ambassador, Mr. Branstad would find himself in the middle of an increasingly fraught relationship. Mr. Trump campaigned against China, repeatedly describing Chinese imports to the United States as a form of theft. He has proposed a steep tariff on those imports and promised to seek vigorous enforcement of trade rules, such as restrictions on state support for private companies.</font>

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</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">fake news</font></div>

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<div><a href="http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/iowa.asp"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/iowa.asp</font></a></div>

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<div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad</font></a></div>

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<p style=" margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>Terry Edward Branstad</b> (born November 17, 1946) is an American politician who is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Governors_of_Iowa" title="List of Governors of Iowa" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">42nd Governor of Iowa</a>, in office since January 2011. Branstad was also the state's 39th governor from 1983 to 1999, and he was president of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Moines_University" title="Des Moines University" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Des Moines University</a> from 2003 to 2009. He is a member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_of_Iowa" title="Republican Party of Iowa" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Republican Party</a>. Branstad is the longest-serving governor in American history.<sup id="cite_ref-Longest_1-0" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-Longest-1" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[1]</a></sup> In his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_gubernatorial_election,2010" title="Iowa gubernatorial election, 2010" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">2010</a> political comeback, Branstad won a three-way <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_election" title="Primary election" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">primary election</a> for the Republican nomination to run for governor in the general election. He faced incumbent Governor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chet_Culver" title="Chet Culver" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Chet Culver</a>, a Democrat and four <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_party(United_States)" title="Third party (United States)" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">third party</a> candidates on November 2, 2010,<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-2" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup> defeating Culver by 52.9% to 43.1%.<sup id="cite_ref-ReferenceA_3-0" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-ReferenceA-3" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Branstad entered the 2010 race as the front runner for both the primary and general elections. Independent polling in 2009 indicated that his favorability ratings hovered in the 70% range.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-4" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[4]</a></sup>He was widely seen as the front runner for the Republican nomination, and had wide leads in aggregate polling against the sitting governor, Chet Culver.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-5" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[5]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-6" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[6]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-slevin1_7-0" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-slevin1-7" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[7]</a></sup> He won the Republican primary with 50.4% of the popular vote, 9.5 percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In the election on November 4, 2014, Branstad was elected to an unprecedented sixth four-year term as Iowa governor. On December 14, 2015, he became the longest-serving governor in US history (breaking the record held by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clinton(vice_president)" title="George Clinton (vice president)" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">George Clinton</a> of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York(state)" class="mw-redirect" title="New York (state)" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">New York</a>, who served 21 years from 1777 to 1795, and from 1801 to 1804).<sup id="cite_ref-Longest_1-1" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-Longest-1" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[1]</a></sup></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On December 8, 2016, Branstad accepted President-elect <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump" title="Donald Trump" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Donald Trump</a>' nomination of him for the post of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Ambassador_to_China" title="United States Ambassador to China" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">United States Ambassador to China</a> (PRC).<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-8" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[8]</a></sup></font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><h2 style=" background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; display: inline; line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contents</font></h2>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#Early_life" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Early life</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#Early_political_career" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Early political career</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#Governor_of_Iowa" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Governor of Iowa</span></font></a>

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<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#First_tenure_.281983.E2.80.931999.29" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.1</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">First tenure (1983–1999)</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#Inter-gubernatorial_career" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.2</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Inter-gubernatorial career</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#Second_tenure_.282011.E2.80.93present.29" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.3</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Second tenure (2011–present)</span></font></a>

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<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-7" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#2010_gubernatorial_election" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.3.1</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">2010 gubernatorial election</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-8" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#2014_gubernatorial_election" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.3.2</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">2014 gubernatorial election</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-9" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#Issues" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.3.3</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Issues</span></font></a>

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<li class="toclevel-4 tocsection-10" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#Job_creation_ranking" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.3.3.1</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Job creation ranking</span></font></a></li>

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<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-11" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#U.S._Ambassador_to_China" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">4</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">U.S. Ambassador to China</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-12" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#Personal_life" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">5</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Personal life</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-13" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#Electoral_history" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Electoral history</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-14" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#References" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">7</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">References</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-15" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#External_links" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">8</span><span class="toctext" style=" display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">External links</span></font></a></li>

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<h2 style=" background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life">Early life</span><span class="mw-editsection" style=" user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Terry_Branstad&action=edit&section=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Early life" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h2>

<p style=" margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Branstad was born in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland,Iowa" title="Leland, Iowa" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Leland, Iowa</a>, the son of Rita L. (Garland) and Edward Arnold Branstad, a farmer.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-9" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-10" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[10]</a></sup>His mother was Jewish, while his father was from a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_American" class="mw-redirect" title="Norwegian American" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Norwegian American</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheran" class="mw-redirect" title="Lutheran" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Lutheran</a> family; Branstad himself was raised Lutheran, and later converted to Catholicism.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-11" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[11]</a></sup> Through his mother, Branstad is a second cousin of Supreme Court nominee <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrick_Garland" title="Merrick Garland" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Merrick Garland</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-12" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[12]</a></sup> Branstad received his undergraduate degree from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Iowa" title="University of Iowa" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">University of Iowa</a> and his law degree from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_University_Law_School" title="Drake University Law School" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Drake University Law School</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-PVSTBranstad_13-0" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-PVSTBranstad-13" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[13]</a></sup> After getting his undergraduate degree, he was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_States#Vietnam_War" title="Conscription in the United States" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">drafted</a> and served in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army" title="United States Army" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">United States Army</a> from 1969 to 1971, serving as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Police_Corps(United_States)" title="Military Police Corps (United States)" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">military policeman</a> in the 503rd Military Police Battalion at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bragg" title="Fort Bragg" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Fort Bragg</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-14" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[14]</a></sup> and was awarded the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Commendation_Medal" class="mw-redirect" title="Army Commendation Medal" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Army Commendation Medal</a> for meritorious service; he once recalled that he arrested actress <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Fonda" title="Jane Fonda" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Jane Fonda</a> for coming onto post at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_National_Cemetery" title="Arlington National Cemetery" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Arlington National Cemetery</a>, where she was planning to attend an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-war_protest" class="mw-redirect" title="Anti-war protest" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">anti-war protest</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-15" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[15]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-16" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[16]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-17" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[17]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-18" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[18]</a></sup></font></p>

<h2 style=" background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_political_career">Early political career</span><span class="mw-editsection" style=" user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Terry_Branstad&action=edit&section=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Early political career" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h2>

<p style=" margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Branstad served three terms in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_House_of_Representatives" title="Iowa House of Representatives" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Iowa House of Representatives</a> from 1973 to 1979 and served as the 41st <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant_Governor_of_Iowa" class="mw-redirect" title="Lieutenant Governor of Iowa" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Lieutenant Governor of Iowa</a> from 1979 to 1983, when he was elected <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Iowa" class="mw-redirect" title="Governor of Iowa" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">Governor of Iowa</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-PVSTBranstad_13-1" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad#cite_note-PVSTBranstad-13" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">[13]</a></sup></font></p>

<h2 style=" background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Governor_of_Iowa">Governor of Iowa</span><span class="mw-editsection" style=" user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Terry_Branstad&action=edit&section=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Governor of Iowa" style=" text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style=" margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h2>

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<p style=" margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The founders of a beef company who were major donors to Gov. Terry Branstad's political campaign were among the business leaders who raised concerns about a state official the governor later tried to force out, according to court documents released to the Associated Press on Wednesday</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a legal deposition, Branstad denied allegations levied in a lawsuit that he targeted former Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey because <a href="http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/investigations/2014/10/06/branstad-godfrey-gay/16802329/" title="http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/investigations/2014/10/06/branstad-godfrey-gay/16802329/" style=" text-decoration: none;">Godfrey is gay</a>. The governor said he asked Godfrey to resign and cut his pay in 2011 so he could name a more business-friendly commissioner to rule on disputes involving employers and injured workers.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Branstad has said publicly that business interests raised concerns about Godfrey's office. But the deposition revealed that those leaders included Beef Products Inc. founders Eldon and Regina Roth, top donors to Branstad's 2010 campaign with $152,000 in contributions.</font></p>

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<p style=" padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When the Army Corp of Engineers announced Sunday it would block construction of an essential part of the<b> Dakota Access Pipeline Project </b>and study alternative routes, thousands of protestors at the site — members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, environmentalists, veterans and others — joined hands in jubilation.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Concern about potential damage to the tribe’s sacred lands and leaks that could poison the water supply led to the outcry; a semi-permanent encampment of RVs, teepees and tents sprang up in recent months as the ranks of the objectors grew.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But they’re not breaking camp just yet. The forces behind the $3.8 billion pipeline, which is expected to carry Bakken Shale oil from northwest North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa to connect to an oil reserve in Illinois, have a lot of sway with President-elect Donald Trump, who could order the Corps to reverse course, and those around him<strong>. </strong>Trump <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-pipeline-idUSKBN13U15I" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">indicated his support</a> for the pipeline, including the segment that has triggered the controversy, on Monday.<strong>

</strong> </font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>North Dakota Sen. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00033782&cycle=2016" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Heidi Heitkamp</a> (D), who has been mentioned as a possible Interior secretary under Trump,</b>has avoided taking a position of the pipeline per se, but encouraged the protestors to go home: “When you look at it, we know one thing for sure: When the administration changes, the easement is going to be approved,” Heitkamp <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/05/the-dakota-pipeline-fight-is-not-winnable-nd-democratic-sen-heidi-heitkamp-says.html" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">said</a> Monday. “I understand the frustration of the protesters, I just think that this fight is not winnable.”</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A member of the Senate <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/cmteprofiles/overview.php?cmte=SIND&cmteid=S15&cycle=2016" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Indian Affairs Committee</a>, Heitkamp and her leadership PAC have raised $8.7 million since 2011, with $277,879 from the oil and gas industry. That includes <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cmte=C00438754&cycle=2014" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">$1,500</a> from the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>political action committee of <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cmte=C00438754&cycle=2014" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Energy Transfer Partners</a>, which owns Dakota Access, LLC, the key player in the project.</b></font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Fellow North Dakota Sen. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00031688&cycle=2016" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">John Hoeven</a> (R), who recently came out <a href="http://www.valleynewslive.com/content/misc/Sen-John-Hoeven-discusses-the-Dakota-Access-Pipeline-and-more-390975831.html" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">supporting the pipeline</a>, also received <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cmte=C00438754&cycle=2016" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">$5,000</a> from the PAC during his re-election campaign this cycle</b>. With seats on the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/cmteprofiles/overview.php?cmte=SENE&cmteid=S09&cycle=2016" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Energy and Natural Resources</a> and <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/cmteprofiles/overview.php?cmte=SIND&cmteid=S15&cycle=2016" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Indian Affairs</a>committees, Hoeven’s single biggest financial supporter throughout his senatorial career has been the oil and gas industry, which has given his campaign $673,030 since 2011.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In total, Energy Transfer Partners’ PAC donated <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cmte=C00438754&cycle=2016" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">$128,000</a> to federal candidates this in the 2016 cycle.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Trump’s interest in the pipeline has been more than just tangential: His <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2171508-donald-trump-personal-financial-disclosure-report.html#document/p4" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">2015 financial disclosure report</a> showed he owned Energy Transfer Partners stock valued at between $500,000 and $1 million</span>. Trump’s <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2838696/Trump-2016-Financial-Disclosure.pdf" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">latest financial report</a>, filed in May 2016, shows he reduced his investment to somewhere between $15,000 and $50,000, but also revealed an investment in Phillips 66 of between $100,000 and $250,000. Phillips 66 owns about 25 percent of the pipeline, making it the biggest partner in the project after ETP. Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-sold-all-shares-in-companies-in-june-spokesman-says/2016/12/06/55419d44-bbcf-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?postshare=8151481045884478&tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.127dc6604ad1" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">sold</a> all his shares in companies in June, including the investment in ETP, according to his spokesperson, though no documentary evidence of that has been shared.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren showed his strong support for Trump</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in late June by donating $100,000 to his joint fundraising committee, $3,000 of which went straight to his campaign.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Like many big donors this cycle, Warren flirted with other presidential prospects first, most notably former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. The pro-Perry super PAC <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?cycle=2016&strID=C00580092" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Opportunity & Freedom I</a> got a $5 million donation from Warren soon after Perry announced his bid last year — but Warren received a refund after Perry dropped out of the race a few months later. Perry, it turns out, is on the board of Energy Transfer Partners. National Republican party committees also received $203,400 from Warren this election cycle.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>At the state level, Warren donated <a href="http://followthemoney.org/show-me?f-fc=2%2C3&d-eid=11563260&f-eid=11281947&d-cci=33#[{1|gro=y" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">$250,000</a> to Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (</b>R) in this election cycle and <a href="http://followthemoney.org/show-me?f-fc=2%2C3&d-eid=11563260&s=LA&f-eid=16072644&d-cci=33#[{1|gro=y,f-eid" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">$10,400</a> to Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, who oversees public utilities in the state. Angelle, the onetime head of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, is a board member of Sunoco Logistics Partners, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer </span>and one of the smaller owners of the pipeline project. Angelle faces a run-off election for Louisiana’s <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?cycle=2016&id=LA03" target="blank" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">3rd Congressional District</a> seat on Saturday, and his single biggest supporter has been the oil and gas industry, which has contributed <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/indus.php?cycle=2016&id=LA03&spec=N" target="blank" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">$103,150</a> so far.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Warren doesn’t skimp: He has donated over <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.php?sort=D&name=kelcy%2Bwarren&state=&zip=&employ=&cand=&soft=&cycle=All" target="blank" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">$2.4 million</a> to candidates, parties and committees at the federal level since 2007 and <a href="http://followthemoney.org/show-me?f-fc=2,3&d-eid=11563260#[{1|gro=f-eid,d-cci,s" target="blank" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">$1.7 million</a> at the state and local level in the last decade.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong>Energetic support

</strong> </font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Heitkamp is only the latest addition to the list of oil executives and pro-development politicians being considered to run the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2016/11/_interior/" target="blank" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Interior Department</a>, overseeing the nation’s wildlife and natural resources.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Trump’s key energy advisor and Continental Resources CEO Harold G. Hamm, in particular, has been the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/how-a-north-dakota-oil-billionaire-is-helping-shape-trumps-views-on-energy/2016/06/06/e6f101d0-2822-11e6-ae4a-3cdd5fe74204_story.html" target="_blank" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">mastermind</a> of the energy policies of the president-elect.</b></font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.php?sort=D&name=harold%2Bhamm&state=OK&zip=&employ=&cand=&soft=&cycle=All" target="blank" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Hamm</a> and his wife <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.php?sort=D&name=Sue%2BHamm&state=OK&zip=&employ=&cand=&soft=&cycle=All" target="blank" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Sue Ann Hamm</a> have donated nearly $1.9 million to federal candidates and committees over the years. This election cycle, individuals (including the chief executive) and the political action committee of <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000032848&cycle=2016" target="_blank" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Continental Resources</a> donated $15,226 to Trump as well as $10,300 and $10,200 to Heitkamp and Hoeven, respectively. The oil billionaire who was at the forefront of the fracking boom in North Dakota was also considered a leading contender for the top job at the Department of Energy, but recently denied any plans to join Trump’s cabinet.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a <i>Wall Street Journal</i> <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/what-the-dakota-access-pipeline-is-really-about-1481071218" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">column</a> published Monday, another key energy adviser to the Trump campaign, Rep. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00004614&type=I" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Kevin Cramer</a> (R-N.D.) — who also received $7,400 from Continental Resources this year — censured the protesters. He, too, counts the energy and natural resources sector as his biggest source of financial support, especially the oil and gas industry: The sector has given his campaign and his leadership PAC $932,925 throughout his congressional career, including his unsuccessful 1996 campaign. Oasis Petroleum, whose well <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-oasis-petroleum-spill-idUSKCN0SD2IO20151019" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">leaked</a> more than 67,000 gallons of crude oil last year, endangering a tributary around the Missouri River, topped Cramer’s donors, giving $68,500. North Dakota-based Armstrong Corp and Koch Industries also have given Kramer $32,800 and $33,000, respectively.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While members of Congress have voiced their views on the high-profile project, the permitting process has mostly been in the purview of the states. <span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Both the <b>Iowa Utility Board </b>and the North Dakota Public Service Commission have been key here.</span></font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Unlike IUB members, who were all appointed by <b>Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad,</b> the three North Dakota public service <a href="http://www.psc.nd.gov/commission/meet/index.php" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">commissioners</a> — <a href="http://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?f-fc=2,3&c-t-eid=10009494#%5B%7B1%7Cgro=d-cci" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Julie Fedorchak</a>, <a href="http://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?f-fc=2,3&c-t-eid=6605236#%5B%7B1%7Cgro=d-ccg" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Randy Christmann</a> and <a href="http://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?s=ND&f-fc=2,3&c-t-eid=6676137#%5B%7B1%7Cgro=d-ccg" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Brian Kalk</a> — were elected to their six-year terms and boasted strong financial support from the energy and natural resources sector. Combined, they brought in a total of $117,550 from those interests. The North Dakota Petroleum Council forked over a total of $15,900 to the three. Hamm, of Continental Resources, gave them $1,000 each.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">And energy and natural resources donors have been crucial to Branstad, too, accounting for over <a href="http://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?f-fc=2,3&c-t-eid=6022145&s=IA&d-ccg=5#%5B%7B1%7Cgro=d-cci" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">$1 million</a> out of $1.8 million total contributions to the governor since 2010.</span><strong>

</strong> </font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Unfortunately for protesters, the Dakota Access Pipeline is not the only pipeline plan that could be revived by the new administration.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cramer — formerly a North Dakota Public Service Commissioner who helped approve the original Keystone Pipeline in 2010 — has been a leading voice in reviving the fourth phase of the Keystone project, which would add North Dakota and Montana to its route.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Called the Keystone XL, the pipeline proposal was a top election issue in 2014. The Obama administration rejected it last year, but Trump says he <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/donald-trump-keystone-canada-energy-224204" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">backs</a> it to free America from dependence on foreign oil. Beneficiaries of the pipeline would be American oil moguls operating in the region, like Hamm and the Koch brothers.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Keystone XL’s biggest owner, TransCanada, appears to be stepping up its political game. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000057745&cycle=2016" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Contributions</a> from the company’s employees and PAC jumped from $4,600 in the 2014 cycle to $243,226 this time around. Ohio Gov. John Kasich received $11,000, while Cramer and Trump received $5,000 and $4,136 each. Even Hillary Clinton, who publicly <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/22/politics/hillary-clinton-opposes-keystone-xl-pipeline/" style=" background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">opposed</a> the extended pipeline, received contributions totaling $1,639.</font></p>

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