Gov. Doug Burgum issued the following statement today after U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ordered the Dakota Access Pipeline to shut down by Aug. 5 while an environmental impact statement is completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“This troubling decision, which we expect will be appealed, could have devastating effects on North Dakota’s economy and U.S. energy security. No one cares more about North Dakota’s clean water than the people who live here, and if a single judge is able to shut down a state-of-the-art pipeline project that was permitted and has been operating safely for more than three years, it would have a chilling effect on America’s ability to build, modernize and improve our nation’s critical infrastructure, which we need to do for both energy security and environmental stewardship.”