While opponents of Energy Transfer LP’s Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) have been seeking a shutdown of the line after a federal judge vacated a key permit last year, advocates of the controversial oil conduit are warning of major economic damage to stakeholders should operations cease.

Dakota Access

In a filing submitted Monday to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, DAPL’s counsel said in the event of a shutdown oil producers could lose anywhere from $3.0-5.4 billion in 2021 alone. In addition, without the project, North Dakota stands to lose 14,540-24,090 jobs, it noted.

In a declaration attached to DAPL’s filling, Chairman Mark N. Fox of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation in the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, outlined “significant...