#NoDAPL’s Last Gasp: Judge Denies Request by Tribes to Stop Dakota Access Pipeline Construction
Signs left by protesters demonstrating against the Energy Transfer Partners Dakota Access oil pipeline sit at the gate of a construction access road where construction has been stopped for several weeks due to the protests near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, U.S. September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Cullen
Energy Transfer Partners resumed construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline shortly after they got the easement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which had been obstructed by the Obama administration.
Not surprisingly, the tribes went to court to try and get a judge to enjoin that construction, but today a judge ruled against them:
13-Feb-2017 02:46:55 PM – US JUDGE DECLINES TO GRANT TRIBES’ REQUEST FOR RESTRAINING ORDER TO HALT CONSTRUCTION OF DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE
— Catherine Ngai (@catkngai) February 13, 2017
Previously ETP had said in court filings that they could have construction completed on the pipeline within 60 days, and oil flowing within 80 days. UPDATE: Politico says the pipeline company is now saying they could be done within 30 days. “Meanwhile the pipeline builders, led by Energy Transfer Partners, are boring under the Missouri River as fast as they can, and the timeline for oil flowing through the pipeline has shrunk from 60 days to 30 days or fewer, according to an attorney for the company,” they report.
Given that short timeline, and that the various legal maneuverings the tribes and environmental groups have failed so far, I have to see this as the last big hurdle.
I don’t see how any sort of legal action can stop the pipeline’s progress now before it’s completed.
