Washington, D.C. – U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a ruling on the Dakota Access pipeline Thursday which said the Army Corps of Engineers failed to adequately consider impacts of an oil spill in the Missouri River. The Army Corps of Engineers must now redo its environmental impact analysis on certain areas of the pipeline route. GAIN Coalition spokesman Craig Stevens issued the following statement in response:
“In his decision, Judge Boasberg disposed of nearly all of the Tribes’ claims and the handful that remain do nothing to impact the ongoing operation of the pipeline nor do they undermine the work of the more than 8,000 individuals across the four states who built it. The Dakota Access Pipeline remains one of the safest – if not the safest – pipeline ever constructed. And while we have little doubt that the Corps will ultimately be successful in satisfying the Court’s concerns, tonight’s decision continues the public saga of the project and jeopardizes ongoing infrastructure investment. Our nation is in dire need of infrastructure improvements, but unfortunately the threat of extended litigation and lost investment could quash the private capital required to build these large scale projects. This not only damages our nation’s productivity, but also threatens our economy and the effort to create jobs. We remain hopeful that the Corps – as well as other state and federal regulatory agencies – will continue their dedicated work to ensure these necessary projects are appropriately permitted.”
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