Judge Orders Oil-spill Response Plan for Dakota Access Pipeline
A federal judge on Monday ordered Energy Transfer Partners to coordinate with tribes to create an oil-spill response plan for the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline by April 1, 2018. The ruling from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg came nearly six months after he ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers’ review of the project, which transports oil from North Dakota near Native American reservations to Illinois, was inadequate before it granted necessary federal permits. The judge also asked Energy Transfer Partners to get input from tribes and get an independent auditor to review easement conditions…
Judge Denies Latest Bid to Block Dakota Pipeline
A U.S. federal judge denied a request by Native American tribes seeking a halt to construction of the final link in the Dakota Access Pipeline on Monday, the controversial project that has sparked months of protests from tribal activists seeking to halt the 1,170-mile line. Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., at a hearing, rejected the request from the Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes, who had argued that the project will prevent them from practicing religious ceremonies at a lake they say is surrounded by sacred ground. The U.S.
Tribes Urge Judge to Block Dakota Pipeline
Native American tribes seeking a halt to construction of the final link in the Dakota Access Pipeline will argue in federal court on Monday that the project will prevent them from practicing religious ceremonies at a lake they say is surrounded by sacred ground. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week granted a final easement to Energy Transfer Partners LP, the company building the $3.8-billion Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), after President Donald Trump issued an order to advance the pipeline days after he took office in January. Lawyers for the Cheyenne River Sioux and the Standing Rock Sioux will urge Judge James Boasberg in U.S.
Dakota Pipeline Gets Regulatory Approvals
Army cancels environmental study on pipeline impact and will grant permit to complete $3.8 bln line. The U.S. Army will grant the final permit for the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline after an order from President Donald Trump to expedite the project despite opposition from Native American tribes and climate activists. In a court filing on Tuesday, the Army said that it would allow the final section of the line to tunnel under North Dakota's Lake Oahe, part of the Missouri River system. This could enable the $3.8 billion pipeline to begin operation as soon as June.
Trump Signs Orders Advancing Keystone, Dakota Pipelines
U.S. President Donald Trump signed orders on Tuesday smoothing the path for the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, rolling back key Obama administration environmental actions in favor of expanding energy infrastructure. While oil producers in Canada and North Dakota are expected to benefit from a quicker route for crude oil to U.S. Gulf Coast refiners, going ahead with the projects would mark a bitter defeat for Native American tribes and climate activists, who vowed to fight the decisions through legal action.
Five Arrested for Trespassing at Dakota Pipeline Site
Protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline flared briefly for the first time since the federal government ruled against the project last month, law enforcement said on Wednesday, as five demonstrators were arrested and less-than-lethal rounds were fired by authorities. The construction site of the $3.8 billion project had been the scene of fierce demonstrations by Native Americans and environmentalists for months. But in early December the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a key easement needed to allow the pipeline to run under Lake Oahe, a reservoir formed by a dam on the Missouri River.
Blackstone Mulls Stake in ETP Assets
Private-equity firm Blackstone Group LP is in talks to buy a stake in assets owned by Energy Transfer Partners LP, the company building the controversial Dakota Access pipeline, a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday. Blackstone is discussing joining the deal with Jamie Welch, who previously served as chief financial officer of ETP parent Energy Transfer Equity LP. The deal is expected to be valued at about $5 billion or more, the Wall Street Journal, who first reported the proposed deals, said earlier on Thursday. Blackstone declined to comment while Energy Transfer Partners did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Dakota Denial Dampens U.S. Pipeline Outlook
The U.S. Army's denial of an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline, after permitting and legal obligations were followed, sets an uncertain precedent for new projects despite President-elect Donald Trump's promise to support energy infrastructure. The decision came after months of protests by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and others who said the line could desecrate tribal grounds, or a spill could contaminate drinking water. While most of the 1,172-mile (1,885-km) pipeline is complete, Energy Transfer Partners, the line's owner, needed an easement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to drill under Lake Oahe.
US Veterans Head to Pipeline Protest Camp in North Dakota
U.S. military veterans were set to arrive at a camp to join thousands of activists braving snow and freezing temperatures to protest a pipeline project near a Native American reservation in North Dakota. Protesters have spent months rallying against plans to route the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline beneath a lake near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, saying it poses a threat to water resources and sacred Native American sites. State officials had issued an order on Monday for activists to vacate the Oceti Sakowin camp, located on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, citing harsh weather conditions.
Protesters Arrested at North Dakota Pipeline as Decision Expected
About 40 people involved in protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline were arrested on Friday in rural North Dakota as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it would soon clarify its plans for the controversial project near sacred tribal lands. Army Corps of Engineers spokeswoman Amy Gaskill said it would issue a decision on its next steps within a few days, though it would perhaps not be a final decision. And it was unclear if the agency's next action would resolve the question of whether the line can be built as planned under Lake Oahe, where construction ceased in September.
Trump Victory Bad News for Dakota Pipeline Protestors
The surprising victory by Native American and environmental groups in September to delay the Dakota Access Pipeline may turn out to be short-lived, after Donald Trump's unexpected win in the U.S. presidential election. Trump backs measures to speed energy industry development and upgrade the country's oil and gas infrastructure. He has not commented specifically on the $3.7 billion Dakota Access line but has said he would seek to revive another controversial pipeline, the Keystone XL line. That project would pump oil from Canada through Nebraska and was rejected in 2014 by the Obama Administration.
Obama Says US Mulling Alternate Routes for North Dakota Pipeline
President Barack Obama has weighed in on the ongoing protests against the construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota, saying the U.S. government is examining ways to reroute it and address concerns raised by Native American tribes. Obama's comments late on Tuesday to online news site Now This were his first to directly address the escalating clashes between local authorities and protesters over Energy Transfer Partners' $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline project. "My view is that there is a way for us to accommodate sacred lands of Native Americans.
Sanders Among Senators Asking Obama to Order Dakota Pipeline Review
Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and four other senators on Thursday called on President Barack Obama to order a comprehensive environmental review of a pipeline project that has stirred widespread opposition from Native Americans and environmental activists. After a U.S. appeals court on Sunday night denied a request to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the senators asked Obama to direct the Army Corps of Engineers to complete a full environmental impact statement for a contested part of the route that includes stronger tribal consultation.
