Energy Transfer LP on Tuesday said it expected to start up the expanded capacity of Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in the third quarter of 2021. The pipeline operator plans to double the volume of crude oil that can flow through the 570,000-bpd pipeline amid legal challenges over its environmental impact and permits. The company is waiting for Illinois regulators to decide whether it can proceed with the project.
However, the pipeline could be stopped before the regulators make their decision. In July, The DC District Court determined that DAPL had vacated its permit to operate on federal land and violated environmental law. Energy Transfer has appealed the court’s decision. Last week, the US Army Corps of Engineers said it had started the process of completing an Environmental Impact Statement on the pipeline which might take roughly a year.
During that period, a federal judge could order the pipeline to be drained to prevent leaks into Lake Oahe in South Dakota. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which is also against the pipeline, uses the lake as their primary drinking water source.
