FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ordered a halt to construction of another section of the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said in a ruling late Friday that it needs more time to consider the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s request for an emergency injunction. The panel says the order should not be construed “in any way” as a ruling on the merits of the motion.

The ruling stops construction within 20 miles on either side of Lake Oahe. The federal government on Sept. 9 ordered a halt to construction on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land under and around the lake after a federal judge rejected the tribe’s request for a preliminary injunction to halt construction of the $3.8 billion pipeline.

Friday’s order comes in the tribe’s appeal of that ruling.

First Published: September 17, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
Updated: September 17, 2016, 2:59 p.m.