Biden Win Would Offer Path to Closing Dakota Access Pipeline
Dakota Access has been operating without permit following a court ruling in July. Climate activists are urging the Democratic candidate to shut it down.
Pipes for the Dakota Access Pipeline, which became a rallying point for the anti-fossil fuel movement, are staged before construction.
Photographer: Nati Harnik/AP
Days after taking office, President Donald Trump cleared the way for construction of an oil pipeline in the Midwest that had been the focus of months of opposition by climate activists, celebrities and Native Americans.
Now opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline are pressuring Joe Biden to take the extraordinary step of returning the favor should he win the White House. Analysts said they couldn't recall a president shutting down an operating pipeline before, which is why its being viewed as a litmus test of how far he’d go to appease environmentalists who have supported him.