BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Doug Burgum issued the following statement today after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the Dakota Access Pipeline can continue operating while the court considers whether the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must prepare an environmental impact statement on the pipeline as ordered by a district court judge.

“Shutting down this state-of-the-art pipeline would have had a devastating effect on North Dakota’s economy and a chilling effect on our nation’s ability to modernize its critical infrastructure for the environmental health and energy security of all Americans,” Burgum said. “Today’s ruling allows for continued safe pipeline operations, protecting our communities and limiting further disruption to our state’s economy during an already challenging time amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”

On July 6, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ordered the pipeline to shut down and be emptied by today, Aug. 5. The Court of Appeals temporarily stayed the shutdown order in mid-July and reversed Boasberg’s shutdown order today.