Appeals court to review halt in Louisiana pipeline work

NEW ORLEANS – A federal appeals court has scheduled a hearing next week to review a judge’s order halting construction of a crude oil pipeline in a Louisiana swamp.

Bayou Bridge Pipeline LLC asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for an “emergency stay” that would lift the suspension of construction work while it appeals the judge’s ruling.

A three-member panel from the 5th Circuit is scheduled hear to arguments on that request next Tuesday.

On Feb. 23, U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick sided with environmental groups and issued a preliminary injunction stopping all Bayou Bridge pipeline construction work in the Atchafalaya Basin until the groups’ lawsuit is resolved.

In a court filing last Friday, company attorneys claimed Dick’s ruling “fails the basic requirements” for issuing such an order.