It cost almost $ 4 billion to build. It is almost 1,900 kilometers long – and just as controversial: the Dakota Access Pipeline in the USA. It leads through the area of Sioux tribes. A US court is now stopping the oil transportation – temporarily.
A U.S. court has ordered the temporary closure of a controversial oil pipeline in the north of the country. Federal judge James Boasberg put an operating license for the Dakota Access Pipeline on hold. In his reasoning, Boasberg stated that environmental regulations were not complied with, particularly with regard to possible leaks. The federal judge ordered the pipeline to be emptied by August 5 and an environmental impact assessment to be carried out.
The pipeline, which was built for $ 3.8 billion and is almost 1900 kilometers long, was put into operation in 2017. It connects oil fields in the state of North Dakota to a distribution center in the state of Illinois. The tube leads through areas of Sioux tribes, among others.
Tribes put pressure on pipeline
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and the neighboring Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, who have sacred sites in the area, are legal against the pipeline. They not only denounce the desecration of the country, but also fear that drinking water could be contaminated by leaks in the pipe. The pipeline leads through a lake, among other things.
President Donald Trump gave the go-ahead for putting the pipeline into operation shortly after taking office in January 2017. Under his predecessor Barack Obama, the project had been put on hold.
The pipeline operator Energy Transfer announced on Monday legal remedies against the ordered stop of oil transportation. Judge Boasberg's decision was based neither on applicable law nor on facts, the company said. The federal judge had also exceeded his powers. The Dakota Access Pipeline has been operated "safely" for three years.
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