Supreme Court won’t take Dakota Access Pipeline case

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to consider an appeal of a lawsuit over the Dakota Access Pipeline. The decision means that an ongoing environmental review of the pipeline will continue. Dakota Access appealed a lower court ruling which affirmed the need for a more thorough environmental study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps issued an easement for the pipeline’s Missouri River crossing in 2017, but a federal judge concluded in 2020 that a prior environmental analysis of the line was inadequate and revoked the permit. The outcome of the new environmental review, which the agency began in September 2020, will determine whether the Corps reissues the permit.