Dakota Access Pipeline Staves Off Shutdown in Mixed Ruling
- Decision ‘wholly positive’ but leaves shutdown on the table
- Energy Transfer says it’s confident it will avoid shutdown
Photographer: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
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The Dakota Access oil pipeline again staved off what would have been an unprecedented shutdown, with judges ruling that the Trump administration has to decide whether the conduit can operate while a more robust review is done.
Judges said Wednesday that they expect the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clarify in front of a federal district court whether the agency thinks the pipeline must shut after a key permit was vacated in July. The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit buys pipeline operator Energy Transfer LP some time after the July 6 shutdown order rocked the industry.