A federal appeals court has overturned last month’s order from a lower judge to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline while an environmental review is conducted, in a partial victory for owner Energy Transfer L.P. as it goes through what will be a lengthy appeals process.
A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the lower court did not have the “findings necessary” to temporarily shut down the pipeline for an environmental review.
The Standing Rock Sioux, Cheyenne River Sioux and other American Indian tribes launched their lawsuit against the Corps of Engineers in 2016, sparking months of protests that ended in the Obama administration pausing the project. President Trump put it back into motion after taking office in 2017.
