Dakota Access review plans to re-examine impact on tribe

Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D.

A federal judge’s order for more environmental review of the already-operating Dakota Access oil pipeline has several potential outcomes, all of which could spark even more wrangling in a Washington, D.C., courtroom. The big question is whether the pipeline will be shut down while the case plays out – and if so, for how long.

Questions and answers about the case:

WHAT IS THE PIPELINE AGAIN?

The $3.8 billion pipeline built by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners moves oil from western North Dakota to a distribution point in Illinois, where it can be shipped to the Gulf Coast and potentially lucrative markets abroad. It began operating June 1 and has the capacity to move half of North Dakota’s daily oil production. American Indian tribes in the Dakotas fear environmental and cultural harm – which ETP disputes – and are trying to persuade a federal judge to shut down the line that they’ve been battling nearly a year.

WHY IS THE COURT CASE STILL UNRESOLVED?

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on June 14 ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers “largely complied” with environmental law when permitting the pipeline. But he also said they didn’t adequately consider how an oil spill under the Missouri River might affect the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s fishing and hunting rights, or whether it might disproportionately affect the tribal community.

Corps and Justice Department officials said they expect to propose a timeframe for the review in mid-July. The Corps has said a full environmental study could take up to two years.