Dakota Access Pipeline Seeking Supreme Court Review in Fight to Keep Line Open

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Dakota Access oil pipeline's operators plan to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in its ongoing legal battle to keep the 570,000 barrel-per-day line open, according to a court filing on Thursday.

The operators of the line, led by Energy Transfer LP, sought a stay from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, saying it would allow the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) to continue operating.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia earlier this week ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide an update by May 3 on when it plans to complete an environmental review of the pipeline and whether it recommends the line should shut during the process.

The line's operators said they do not intend to reargue whether an environmental assessment is required but said that they could show reasonable probability that the Supreme Court would reverse the lower courts' decision to scrap the permit.

DAPL, the biggest pipeline out of the Bakken shale basin, began operating in mid-2017 but drew controversy during construction as Native American tribes and activists protested its route under Lake Oahe, a critical drinking water source for the tribes.

"They really, really do not want to undergo the full environmental review that the law requires. I wonder why?" Jan Hasselman, who represents the Standing Rock Sioux in the case, said in a tweet.

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