Tribes ask judge to stop Dakota Access oil from flowing

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Sioux tribes suing to stop the Dakota Access pipeline want a federal judge to head off the imminent flow of oil.

Judge James Boasberg last week rejected the request of the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux to stop construction of the final segment of the pipeline that would move oil from North Dakota to Illinois. Developer Energy Transfer Partners says the pipeline could begin operating this week.

Cheyenne River attorney Nicole Ducheneaux has appealed Boasberg’s ruling and asked Boasberg to prevent oil from flowing until the appeal is resolved.

Boasberg has given ETP and co-defendant Army Corps of Engineers until Tuesday to file responses. The Corps is a defendant because it manages the Missouri River. ETP is finishing construction under a river reservoir in North Dakota from which the tribes draw water.