WASHINGTON, D.C. - A federal judge is shutting down the Dakota Access pipeline that runs through Iowa.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg sided with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Monday and is ordering the pipeline shut down until more environmental review is done.
Boasberg said the pipeline, which has been operating for three years, remains "highly controversial" under federal environmental law, and a more extensive review is necessary.
The pipeline runs through the state from its northwest corner to southeast corner, and passes close by Boone, Ames, Des Moine and Newton.
Boasberg said, "the seriousness of the Corps' (Army Corp of Engineers) deficiencies outweighs the negative effects of halting the oil flow" of halting the oil flow for the thirteen months that the Corps believes the creation of an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement)."
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose reservation lies downstream from the pipeline, have been fighting against its construction for years.
The $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile is pipeline runs from North Dakota into Illinois south and east of St. Louis, Mo. It began operations in 2017.