BISMARCK, N.D. (NMB) – A federal judge in North Dakota has ruled that the Dakota Access Pipeline can continue operating during an ongoing environmental review that will decide whether it is reissued a permit to cross under the Missouri River.
The ruling was made by James Boasberg and is the latest update in a five-year legal saga between pipeline operator Energy Transfer and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
Energy Transfer says the pipeline does not present risk or harm to others, while the Standing Rock Sioux have expressed concerns about pollution in the event of a leak or spill.
The ruling can be appealed, and the environmental review is scheduled to conclude by March 2022.
Energy Transfer is planning to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court regarding a previous ruling that called for the environmental review.
The pipeline has the capacity to transfer nearly 600,000 barrels of oil a day from western North Dakota to Illinois.
