A district court ruled on July 6 that the Dakota Access Pipeline, an oil route from North Dakota to Illinois must shut down for environmental review. The pipeline will be emptied of oil by August 5. It has been the subject of protests and legal battles for its harmful effects on the land.
Environmental concerns
The court ruling is a win for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, other Native American tribes and environmental groups who have protested against the project. This is also considered as a defeat for President Donald Trump, who stated that he wanted to keep the pipeline going.
The ruling was done by Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S District Court for the District of Columbia. The Dakota Access Pipeline's legal battle had gone for years. The state will now conduct an environmental impact review of the pipeline, according to a CNN report.
The Texas company that owns the pipeline, Energy Transfer, stated that it would file a motion to stay the decision. If it fails, they are willing to appeal to a higher court. Energy Transfer also stated that they would pursue legal and administrative processes as they do not wish for the pipeline to be shut down. They are confident that their records and the law will consider their appeal.
According to Judge Boasberg, the court decision considered the potential harm that the pipeline causes to the environment each day that it operates, as reported by The Washington Post.
Meanwhile, the President of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, Ron Ness, said that the pipeline has operated smoothly for years, and shutting it down will hurt the economy of the state and it may result in using less safe means of oil transportation, as reported by Forbes.
Energy Transfer then pointed out that if the pipeline shuts down, local, state and even tribal governments would lose billions of dollars in royalties and taxes. If the oil flow is stopped and the ruling stands, the pipeline could still continue operations after the environmental review is completed.
History of the pipeline
The Dakota Access Pipeline has been operating for three years. Back in 2016, protests, legal battles, and political campaigns continued because the oil that it carries was harming the land surrounding the pipeline.
An oil spill under the Missouri River, which is near the pipeline could pollute the water that the tribes rely on for drinking, fishing, and their religious ceremonies.
In 2017, President Trump was sworn in and after four days he signed an executive memorandum directing the corps to review and approve the pipeline in an expedited manner. The decision let to rallies outside the Trump International Hotel and the White House.
In June 2017, the oil started flowing through the pipeline. Judge Boasberg was appointed by President Barack Obama when he was still in office.
In March 2020, he ordered the federal government to conduct a new environmental review of the pipeline. The court ruling states that the federal government did not do enough research about the potential risks of a major oil spill on the environment and how it could affect the lives of the Native Americans living near the pipeline.
Environmental reviews usually take 7 years, and that does not include filing for new permits. Judge Boasberg's ruling is the second win in two days for environmental groups.
On July 5, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy were ordered to cancel the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would have carried gas across the Appalachian Trail.
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