GAIN Commends D.C. Appeals Court for Issuing Stay on DAPL Shutdown
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today issued a temporary administrative stay preventing the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) shutdown order from taking effect while the court considers arguments on whether to block a lower court judge’s ruling ordering the crude oil pipeline be shuttered and emptied. In March, Judge James Boasberg ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must perform an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the already operational pipeline, which transports oil from North Dakota to southern Illinois, despite three years of safe operation and having received the necessary permits from both state and federal regulators.
Below is a statement that can be attributed to me, Craig Stevens, spokesman for the GAIN Coalition:
“The GAIN Coalition commends the appeals court in Washington D.C. for today’s commonsense decision issuing a stay on the DAPL shutdown order. This ruling is a key step forward in reaffirming the Dakota Access Pipeline’s critical role in the American energy infrastructure network, and represents a win for our nation’s economy, energy security, and national security. The decision serves as a timely and important reminder to vocal anti-energy activists that fact and pragmatism will prevail over partisan rhetoric and misinformation. We are confident the appeals court will ultimately agree with federal regulators, the pipeline operator, and more than a dozen state attorneys general and see the merit in the rigorous permitting process the pipeline has already endured and the vitality of its continued safe operation serving American consumers.”