Court Allows Dakota Access Pipeline To Stay Open; Permit Status Unclear

"A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday said the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) does not have to be shut and drained per a lower court order, but a legal battle continued over the permit that allowed the line to be finished.

U.S. regulatory officials may still need to issue another environmental assessment for DAPL before deciding if the 570,000-barrel-per-day oil pipeline can keep operating, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said.

In July, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated federal environmental law when it granted an easement to Energy Transfer LP to construct and operate a portion of the pipeline beneath South Dakota’s Lake Oahe, a crucial drinking-water source for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe."

Laila Kearney, Devika Krishna Kumar and David Gaffen report for Reuters August 5, 2020.

SEE ALSO:

"Dakota Access Pipeline Staves Off Shutdown in Mixed Ruling" (Bloomberg Environment)

Source: Reuters, 08/06/2020