In a significant development, 13 Republican-led states have joined a lawsuit as co-defendants in the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's ongoing legal battle against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).
The tribe's lawsuit, filed in October 2023, seeks to shut the pipeline down and accuses the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of unlawfully allowing DAPL to operate without proper environmental assessments, an easement or adequate emergency spill response plans.
The 13 states—including Iowa, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia—argue that shutting down the pipeline would result in severe economic consequences.
According to the states, closing DAPL would cause an estimated $900 million in lost revenue and jeopardize nearly 10,000 jobs.
They filed a brief in support of the Army Corps, asserting that DAPL plays an essential role in the region's energy and agricultural markets by reducing pollution and easing pressure on highways and railways.
“DAPL plays a vital role in ensuring the nation’s crops can come to market — not because DAPL itself transports agricultural products, but because every barrel of oil that DAPL transports is a barrel that does not take space in a truck or a train,” the states wrote.https://www.yahoo.com/news/13-more-gop-states-sign-001038697.html
They further emphasized the pipeline’s financial contributions to local economies, particularly in Iowa and South Dakota, noting that the pipeline has had a positive fiscal impact since it began operation in 2017.
This legal move follows shortly after North Dakota was permitted to intervene as a co-defendant alongside the Army Corps.
North Dakota's Attorney General Drew Wrigley argued that shutting down DAPL would inflict substantial economic damage on the state, highlighting the loss of jobs and the disruption to energy infrastructure.
“(I)f DAPL is shut down, 550,000 to 600,000 barrels of oil per day will likely remain shut-in until economically viable alternate transportation can be secured and contracts revised,” Wrigley’s office noted in its brief. “This would result in an estimated temporary loss of 8,450 to 9,300 full-time jobs and a permanent loss of 1,700 to 2,200 full-time jobs.”
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has long opposed the pipeline, citing concerns about its impact on the tribe’s water supply, cultural sites, and sovereignty.
The tribe’s primary objection is the pipeline’s proximity to the Missouri River. The tribe argues that the pipeline's operation poses a direct threat to their environment and their way of life.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which permitted the pipeline’s construction and operation, has yet to respond to the tribe’s lawsuit.
The Corps' previous actions were scrutinized in a 2016 lawsuit, where U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ordered the Corps to conduct a full environmental impact study. The study is still ongoing, and the court’s earlier decision to halt the pipeline’s operation was ultimately overturned on appeal.
Energy Transfer, the company responsible for building and operating DAPL, has not sought to intervene in the current lawsuit.
This case is now before Judge James Boasberg, who also presided over the 2016 lawsuit and continues to oversee the legal challenges related to DAPL.
The tribe is pushing for a judicial ruling that could halt the pipeline's operations, while state officials and energy advocates are emphasizing the economic stakes involved.