A status conference for the Sioux lawsuit will occur on September 16th.
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Almost 40 people have been arrested since the protest began in April, including tribal chairman Dave Archambault II, though none stemmed from Saturdays confrontation between protesters and construction workers.
Nonetheless, the judge wrote, the tribe “has not demonstrated that an injunction is warranted here”. “We will continue to stand united and peaceful in our opposition to the pipeline”. Boasberg said in a ruling that the decision by the US Army Corps of Engineers to fast-track the pipeline project was not illegal.
A federal judge ruled Friday that construction could resume on a controversial oil pipeline in North Dakota, despite serious concerns from a native Sioux tribe – a decision partly in conflict with President Barack Obama’s administration. They went on to say that the tribe’s fight here has been indicative of the oppression and injustice that so many Native Americans have been fighting against in the country for generations.
The proposed Dakota Access pipeline project would transport crude oil from North Dakota through South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois to an existing oil terminus near Patoka, Illinois.
Protesters opposed to the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline rallied Friday in downtown Indianapolis.
The departments also said they respected protesters’ rights to assemble and speak freely, and urged all sides to adhere to principles of nonviolence. The Obama Administration released a statement regarding its support of the move and desire to not move forward until the Army “can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions regarding the Lake Oahe site under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other federal laws”.
A series of “game-changing” developments impacting the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) battle on Friday afternoon were testament to the power of organizing.
But that temporary restraining order only halts construction on part of the land the tribe is seeking to protect.
State authorities announced this week that law enforcement officers from across the state were being mobilized at the protest site, some National Guard members would work security at traffic checkpoints and another 100 would be on standby.
MANDAN, N.D. -A reporter from Democracy Now! who documented security personnel with guard dogs working for Dakota Access Pipeline is facing criminal trespassing charges in Morton County.
The US Department of Justice has not weighed in at this point.
President Barack Obama said Friday that construction on the almost 2,000-mile pipeline would be shelved until the government can determine the effects it will have on the environment.
The North Dakota National Guard continues to be in a support role at an information checkpoint on State Highway 1806, with a couple dozen guard members rotating to fill those shifts, said Guard spokeswoman Amber Balken. Energy Transfer Partners denied the allegations. When Native American “Water Protectors” from the nearby protest camp marched in to stop the destruction, they were attacked by a private mercenary security team armed with mace and dogs. If construction of the pipeline is ceased, Energy Transfer Partners could potentially lose $1.4 billion in the first year.
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“And in my view, in the last few months anyway, they were more than exhaustive in their environmental assessment of this route”, he said before the federal judge handed down his ruling Friday.
