U.S. keeps Dakota Access Pipeline open during environmental review
By Ellen Gilmer and Ari Natter on 4/10/2021
Dakota Access Pipeline during the construction phase
WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) --The Dakota Access pipeline thatâs been at the center of a years-long battle between oil companies and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe wonât be forced to shut down while federal regulators conduct a new environmental analysis.
The Biden administrationâs decision to allow the line to keep operating is a victory for pipeline owner Energy Transfer LP and drillers such as Continental Resources Inc. that use it transport crude from North Dakotaâs Bakken oil field. The move will likely come as a relief to an oil industry beset by President Joe Bidenâs aggressive climate campaign, which has included canceling the permit for the $9 billion Keystone XL oil pipeline and pausing leasing on federal lands.