Judge orders Dakota Access pipeline shut down pending review
A federal judge has ordered the Dakota Access pipeline to shut down pending further environmental review, a victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
In his order on Monday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg wrote that the closure must take place in the next 30 days.
Protesters have argued that the controversial oil pipeline project poses both a cultural and environmental threat to the land it runs through. Proponents say it is a financial boon, creating jobs and bringing money into local economies.
The order to shutter the pipeline comes after a protracted legal battle.
“It took four long years, but today justice has been served at Standing Rock,” attorney Jan Hasselman, who represents the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said in a press release. “If the events of 2020 have taught us anything, it’s that health and justice must be prioritized early on in any decision-making process if we want to avoid a crisis later on. "
Chairman Mike Faith of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe called it a historic day.
“This pipeline should have never been built here. We told them that from the beginning,” he said in the same press release.
Energy Transfer, the Texas-based company behind the pipeline, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
This breaking news story will be updated.
