** Judge orders temporary shutdown of controversial Dakota Access Pipeline
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Protesters in 2016 called for a stop of the pipeline construction which will pass upstream from the Standing Rock Sioux Nation | Fibonacci Blue ([link removed])
On Monday, a federal judge ordered the Dakota Access pipeline shut down ([link removed]) after finding that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review already performed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was insufficient ([link removed]) .
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg wrote in the order, "...given the seriousness of the Corps’ NEPA error... and the potential harm each day the pipeline operates, the Court is forced to conclude that the flow of oil must cease."
The significant legal order, a day after two energy companies abandoned their bid to build the controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline ([link removed]) , serves as another setback to President Trump's "energy dominance" agenda. The order demonstrates the legal liability that companies face as a result of the Trump administration's aggressive environmental rollbacks and anti-regulation agenda. It may also challenge the legal footing for Trump's plan to overhaul NEPA ([link removed]) , which is opposed by 94 percent of public comments ([link removed]) .
The Dakota Access pipeline was raised into the public consciousness by months of protests ([link removed]) in 2016 and 2017, during which activists from across the country joined the Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes to stand against the pipeline's construction. The pipeline crosses beneath the tribe's water source (the Missouri River), leading to fears of pollution.
Quick hits
** ‘Glamping’ resort proposed near Zion National Park, where visitor demand remains high despite pandemic
------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press ([link removed]) | Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
** BLM announces selections for some of the few positions to be based out of Grand Junction
------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Junction Sentinel ([link removed])
** A pandemic summer in national parks: what's different?
------------------------------------------------------------
Sierra ([link removed]) | Deseret News ([link removed])
** Lawsuit asserts acting BLM head must step down while awaiting confirmation
------------------------------------------------------------
E&E News ([link removed]) | Bloomberg ([link removed])
** Judge orders temporary shutdown of controversial Dakota Access Pipeline
------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed]) | National Public Radio ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | Indian Country Today ([link removed])
** Opinion: Oil companies need to clean up on the way out
------------------------------------------------------------
Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])
** Forest Service directed to boost broadband on public lands
------------------------------------------------------------
Missoulian ([link removed])
** Opinion: Now’s the time for Colorado to act boldly and cut air pollution
------------------------------------------------------------
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Today is a historic day for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the many people who have supported us in the fight against the pipeline. This pipeline should have never been built here. We told them that from the beginning.”
—Mike Faith, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman | Washington Post ([link removed])
Picture this
** @SequoiaKingsNPS ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
This 4th of July may be much different from others past, without fireworks and maybe without the usual gatherings. But how lucky are we, to have places in which no fireworks are needed, because nature provides the best show of all. #FindYourPark ([link removed]) #EncuentraTuParque ([link removed]) #DarkSkies ([link removed])
============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Copyright © 2020 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.
Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
