Company Behind Dakota Access Pipeline Wants Courts to Allow It to Finish Construction

By Yessenia Funes Dec 07, 2016

The company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline is challenging the Army Corps of Engineers for its decision to deny a key permit the company needs to finish the $3.78 billion project.

Energy Transfer Partners filed a lawsuit in a U.S. district court Monday (December 5) arguing that the Army Corps’ decision represented a “transparent capitulation to political pressure,” reports the Guardian. The filing urges the federal judge to grant the company permission to complete the pipeline, which the Corps had originally granted them before the #NoDAPL movement developed.

A hearing in the case is scheduled Friday, according to the Guardian. If the judge rules in favor of the Corps, the pipeline could be in a state of limbo for months—or possibly years—due to the time it takes to conduct an environmental impact statement, which the Corps has requested.

However, President-elect Donald Trump will have the power to reverse the Army Corps decision when he enters the White House on January 20. He has yet to comment on specific actions, but in a Deember 5 press call, his transition team said that it plans to fully review the Corps’ decision.

(H/t The Guardian)