In turn, the tribe has sought a preliminary injunction in Washington to halt pipeline construction, accusing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of violating historic preservation and environmental laws by approving the pipeline, which would cross just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota.
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U.S. District Judge James Boasberg listened to arguments Wednesday in Washington, D.C. He says he will rule on the case by September 9.
We’ve had reporters on the ground in Cannon Ball since day one of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.
The tribe says the pipeline would leave it vulnerable to oil spills and damage culturally significant sites in violation of the National Historic Preservation Act and National Environmental Policy Act.
A complaint filed by the company alleges Edwards built “obstructions” to prevent pipeline workers from accessing the construction site and chained himself to a fence to prevent work from continuing. We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about.
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe has 15,000 members throughout the United States with 6,000 to 8,000 living on tribal lands in North Dakota.
“The judge clearly understands the issues at stake”, said Jan Hasselman, an Earthjustice attorney. They are going to claim that correspondence is consultation.
Corps spokeswoman Eileen Williamson said she couldn’t comment on the lawsuit.
Wednesday’s hearing in Washington, D.C., attracted dozens of protesters, including actresses Susan Sarandon and Shailene Woodley, who spent almost three weeks at the North Dakota protest.
Outside the court, Sarandon and other celebrities showed support for the tribe.
The Sioux Tribe is suing federal regulators for approving permits for the pipeline that will move oil from North Dakota to IL.
Edwards is one of seven people, including Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II and council member Dana Yellow Fat, whom the company said interfered with pipeline work through their actions in the protest, threatening the safety of workers and costing the company business, according to court documents.
“Everyone needs water and I’m very grateful to the Standing Rock Tribe for making this clear that this has to stop”, Sarandon told The Associated Press.
The Iowa Utilities Board will hear arguments Thursday on the landowners’ motion to halt construction on their properties until a court can rule on their lawsuit, which challenges the board’s authority to allow forced condemnation of farmland for a privately owned pipeline project under eminent domain laws.
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Dozens of people protested outside the Nebraska state capitol on Wednesday.
