Judge orders environmental review of Dakota Access pipeline

FARGO, N.D. — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a full environmental review of the Dakota Access pipeline, nearly three years after it began carrying oil despite protests by people who gathered in North Dakota for more than a year. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg wrote that the easement approval for the pipeline remains “highly controversial” under federal environmental law, and a more extensive review is necessary than the environmental assessment that was done. The Standing Rock tribe continued to press litigation against the pipeline even after it began carrying oil from North Dakota across several states to a shipping point in Illinois in June 2017. Applying that case, Boasberg wrote that he “ultimately concludes that too many questions remain unanswered.” Earthjustice attorney Jan Hasselman, who represents the Standing Rock Tribe, said the Obama administration “had it right” when it denied the permits and his group will continue to argue the case until the pipeline is shut down.