Federal Appeals Court Halts Dakota Access Segment as Solidarity Protests Spread Nationwide*

A federal appeals court ruled to temporarily halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline taking place within a 20-mile radius of Lake Oahe (near the Missouri river) on Saturday, September 17. Federal judge James Boasberg had previously ruled to allow construction in the Lake Oahe area, but minutes after his ruling, the federal government stepped in and asked Energy Transfer Partners to voluntarily cease construction in this area.

Construction within 20 miles of Lake Oahe seemed to have already stopped after the federal government’s request, but now it is legally halted, albeit temporarily, by a court order. A panel of three judges on the D.C. Circuit of Appeals ordered that all construction within 20 miles of Lake Oahe cease for the time being “to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motion for injunction pending…