U.S. District Judge James Boasberg made his decision after attorneys for the pipeline's Texas-based owner, Energy Transfer, argued that shuttering the pipeline would be a major economic blow to several entities, including North Dakota, and the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation tribe, in the heart of the state’s oilpatch.

The denial was not unexpected because such declarations typically involve natural disasters, and not "civil−unrest−related disasters," Nowatzki said.

North Dakota regulators are suing a private security firm hired by the developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, alleging it operated in the state without a license.

TransCanada Corp. is reassessing whether oil producers in North Dakota and Montana are still interested in shipping crude through its long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline.

North Dakota stands to gain more than $110 million annually in tax revenue after oil begins coursing through the Dakota Access pipeline, an analysis by The Associated Press shows.

Authorities cleared a protest camp where opponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline had gathered for the better part of a year. Forty-six people were arrested.

Many demonstrators insist they will stay for as long as it takes to permanently divert the $3.8 billion pipeline. The company doing the building says it is unwilling to reroute the project.

Don't look for apologies from the North Dakota sheriff leading the response to the Dakota Access oil pipeline protests, especially for the recent — and, in some circles, controversial actions.

Militant younger activists are seeking more aggressive tactics than an older crowd arguing for peaceful protest centred on prayer.

Since late 2010, there have been 108 workplace fatalities in North Dakota, including 48 that were oilfield-related.