"The Supreme Court today dealt a blow to a pipeline developer, deciding against hearing a dispute over environmental reviews for infrastructure projects.

In a short order issued this morning, the justices declined to wade into a yearslong legal fight between the federal government and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe over potential oil spill risks from the Dakota Access pipeline, which runs from North Dakota to Illinois.

Developer Energy Transfer LP has said that a rejection by the high court could leave the project at risk of a new shutdown order.

In 2020, Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said that Dakota Access, which has been operating since 2017, should be closed and drained of oil pending completion of a more robust National Environmental Policy Act review."

Niina H. Farah and Pamela King report for E&E News February 22, 2022. [2]