U.S. court orders full environmental review of Dakota Access pipeline

(Reuters, 25 Mar 2020) The Standing Rock Sioux tribe says oil spills from the pipeline, which has been operational since 2017, could pollute their water source, the Missouri River

A federal court on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to conduct a full environmental review of a controversial segment of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a longstanding focal point of tribal and environmental activism.

The court granted a request by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which had petitioned to nullify federal permits for Energy Transfer Partners' Dakota Access Pipeline on grounds that the Army Corps of Engineers violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it issued permits in 2016 without conducting adequate environmental reviews.

"This court ultimately concludes that too many questions remain unanswered. Unrebutted expert critiques regarding leak-detection systems, operator safety records, adverse conditions, and worst-case discharge mean that the easement approval remains 'highly controversial' under NEPA," the court ruling says.

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Reuters, 25 Mar 2020: U.S. court orders full environmental review of Dakota Access pipeline