Dakota Access shutdown and the future of US midstream projects

Last week delivered some huge news on the pipeline front that highlights the challenges ahead for the US midstream sector and the fate of future efforts to build multi-state energy projects.

First Duke Energy and Dominion Energy announced they were canceling the Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline after already spending more than $3 billion on it.

Then a federal judge ordered Energy Transfer to shut down the Dakota Access crude pipeline and empty it of oil by August 5 while the Army Corps of Engineers conducts a more extensive environmental review.

Finally, the Supreme Court said the Army Corps can resume a fast-track permitting process called the Nationwide Permit 12 -- on all pipelines except for TC Energy's Keystone XL heavy crude pipeline from Canada, extending the more than decade-long uncertainty for that project.

James Coleman, an energy law professor at Southern Methodist University, joins us to walk through the possible scenarios for Dakota Access in the next month, as well as the broader uncertainty hanging over the midstream sector and the major shift in US pipeline regulation expected if Joe Biden beats President Trump in November.