US Must Shut Down Dakota Access Pipeline Until Court Decision - Standing Rock

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed a brief in federal court arguing that the Dakota Access pipeline should terminate operations while a court decides how to move ahead with the case between the tribe and the pipeline developer, Chairman Dave Archambault said in a statement.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A US federal judge ruled on June 14 that the US Army Corps of Engineers’ environmental impact statement did not provide an adequate review of an oil spill on tribal lands.

"Yesterday, we filed a powerful brief with the courts making our case for why the pipeline should be shut down while the courts decide an appropriate path forward. In cases where an agency is found to have made such serious errors, it is typical that the action in question be halted," Archambault said on Tuesday. "In this case, that means shutting down the pipeline."

Although the court claims the Army Corps’ review was inadequate, Dakota Access developer Energy Transfer Partners has said that the Army Corps properly conducted its review of the $3.7 billion Dakota Access project.

The nearly 1,200-mile pipeline began full operation on June 1 to transport domestically produced light crude oil from the US state of North Dakota through the states of South Dakota and Iowa into Illinois.

The tribes object to the pipeline on the grounds that it affects burial lands and vital water resources in contravention to treaties with the United States.