A federal judge agreed to temporarily halt construction of a crude oil pipeline through a swamp in Louisiana, The Associated Press reported Feb. 23.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick bars Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP and other companies building the pipeline from "taking further action on the project" until a lawsuit over the project is resolved.

Environmental groups sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in January, accusing it of violating environmental laws when it granted Bayou Bridge Pipeline LLC, a joint venture of Energy Transfer Partners and Phillips 66, a permit to begin construction of the pipeline.

It was not immediately clear whether the ruling is limited to construction on the Atchafalaya Basin or the entire 162-mile pipeline from Lake Charles to St. James Parish, the report noted.