Energy Transfer vows to keep pipeline open after court order

Bloomberg

Two days after a judge ordered the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline to shut by early August, its owner Energy Transfer LP is continuing to schedule shipments and has made no moves to take it offline.
The Dallas-based company run by billionaire Kelcy Warren said that it’s not currently emptying the pipeline and, in fact, is accepting requests for shipments next month. The US District Court for the District of Columbia had
ordered the pipeline to be drained by August 5 while a more robust environmental review is conducted.
“We are not shutting in the line,” Energy Transfer spokeswoman Vicki Granado said in an email when asked if the company had begun emptying it. Judge James E Boasberg “we believe exceeded his authority and does not have the jurisdiction to shut down the pipeline or stop the flow of crude oil.” The company later said in a statement that it has no intention of defying Boasberg’s order.
It’s the latest sign that Energy Transfer is preparing for yet
another battle over Dakota Access, which four years ago drew months of on-the-ground protests from environmental groups and tribes opposed to the project’s route across Lake Oahe, a dammed section of the Missouri River a half-mile from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in the Dakotas. Energy Transfer pressed Boasberg to freeze his “literally unprecedented” decision until an appeals court can weigh in.