Army Corps Lets Dakota Access Pipeline Stay Open During Review, in Blow to Activists
The Army Corps of Engineers on Friday said it will allow Energy Transfer's Dakota Access oil pipeline to keep running during an environmental review, a blow to activists who wanted the line shut after a key environmental permit was scrapped last year.
Energy companies said a shutdown would increase reliance on crowded rail lines and smaller pipelines and hamper transport of crude from the Bakken region, where more than 1 million barrels are produced daily.
The Army Corps is expected to produce an environmental impact statement (EIS) by March of 2022, said Corps attorney Ben Schifman.
"The Corps is proceeding with the EIS process … but at this time has not taken any additional action," he said.
The Standing Rock Sioux and environmental groups have ramped up pressure on the White House to shut the line. President Joe Biden's administration is trying to reduce U.S. carbon emissions and protect minority groups from pollution threats. It canceled a presidential permit for the unbuilt Keystone XL pipeline from Canada but has not shut an operating pipeline.
In 2016, tens of thousands of protesters flocked to the site to support tribes who said they had not been adequately consulted about the line's construction.
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/dakota/2021/04/09/id/1017034/