Northwest Iowa — A federal judge in Washington, DC has refused to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the pipeline that will carry crude oil from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota, diagonally across the state of Iowa, passing through portions of Lyon, Sioux, and O’Brien counties on it’s way to an Illinois terminal.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg rejected a request by two Native American tribes to halt construction of the remaining section of that pipeline. His ruling was issued Monday. Judge Boasberg says he’ll consider the request more thoroughly during a hearing scheduled for February 27th.
The Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Tribes had requested a temporary injunction to halt construction of the final portion of the Dakota Access Pipeline. That portion will lay pipe under a Missouri River reservoir. The tribes contended that the pipeline would endanger their water supply, and cultural sites.
The company building the pipeline called the tribes’ request a last-minute delay tactic.
