A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday ordered dismissal of the lawsuit by environmental and Native American groups, saying President Donald Trump had revoked a 2017 permit allowing the $8 billion pipeline to be built.

The legal debris field has been cleared and the objections of Native American and environmentalist special interest groups nullified by a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Washington Post reports:

Trump later issued a new permit, and the appellate judges agreed with Justice Department attorneys who say that nullifies the legal challenge involving environmental impacts.



Source: Erin Tapahe.

But the ruling comes too late for construction to begin this year, for the project is located in territory where winter precludes construction work:

The ruling Thursday was a victory for TC Energy, a Calgary, Alberta-based company that wants to build the line, though company officials have said it already missed the 2019 construction season because of court delays. "We are pleased with the ruling," TC Energy spokesman Matthew John said. "We look forward to advancing the project."

But the BANANA ("build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone") forces have vowed to keep delaying the project:

Attorneys for the plaintiffs accuse Trump of trying to get around court rulings by issuing the new permit, which they say also is flawed. They have filed another, ongoing lawsuit to block the new presidential permit. Attorney Stephan Volker, who represents the Indigenous Environmental Network and North Coast Rivers Alliance, said he would request another judge's order to block the project if he thought there was a chance of construction beginning immediately. Representatives of a half-dozen other environmental groups vowed to keep fighting in court and predicted the pipeline will never be built.

They are religious fanatics, believers in the apocalyptic Global Warming Cult:

"We shouldn't forget the underlying issue here — global warning," Volker said. "We're trying to save the Earth. I wish the federal government would pay attention to the science and do its job."

There is no "science" in global warming predictions of doom — no experimental validation at all, only flawed computer models. That's why it is a religion, not science.

There is a broader argument yet to be heard:

White House officials contend a presidential permit can't be reviewed by a court. After Trump revoked that permit and issued and signed the new one, Justice Department attorneys argued that claims in that lawsuit — and Morris' injunction — no longer applied.

So attorneys get rich, and for some more time, nothing will be accomplished on the ground.