The Obama administration on Friday halted a contentious 1,172-mile long pipeline that begins in North Dakota, for the time being.
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CANNON BALL, N.D., Sept 12 Native Americans protesting construction of a North Dakota oil pipeline near land they consider sacred on Saturday quietly celebrated the US government’s decision to pause construction on federally owned land, and vowed to press for a full halt to the project. The statement went on to say “The Army will not authorize constructing the Dakota Access pipeline on Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe until it 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”.
“Our hearts are full”, tribal Chairman David Archambault II said after the announcement.
One protestor says, “We stopped the Dakota Access and we won, and now I can go home”.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed a lawsuit earlier this year against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that claimed the Army Corps violated environmental and historic preservation laws when it approved the project.
Unity of Boulder Spiritual Center will be accepting donations for the Standing Rock Sioux.
Earthjustice attorney Jan Hasselman, who is representing the tribe, said the litigation will continue until the two sides reach an agreement on where or whether construction can move forward.
On Friday, shortly after a federal judge refused to prevent construction of the entire pipeline, President Barack Obama’s administration temporarily blocked the portion that would be within 20 miles of Lake Oahe.
Unlike natural gas pipelines, which are closely regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, oil lines are subject to limited federal review, triggering agency involvement only when crossing federal lands and waters or the habitats of endangered or threatened species.
“It is also concerning that the federal government would threaten the livelihoods of thousands of workers who rely on good governance to support a stable workplace”, he said in a statement.
Proponents of the pipeline, on the other hand, believe that the pipeline would be a safer method of transporting oil than the current methods of rail and road transport.
“In recent days, we have seen thousands of demonstrators come together peacefully, with support from scores of sovereign tribal governments, to exercise their First Amendment rights and to voice heartfelt concerns about the environment and historic, sacred sites”, the statement said. “We urge everyone involved in protest or pipeline activities to adhere to the principles of nonviolence”, the statement said.
Supporters of the pipeline are concerned with a very different type of turning point.
Industry consultant Brigham McCown, a former acting administrator for the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, said the Obama administration’s involvement has “changed the lay of the land forever” for infrastructure projects.
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Hundreds gathered in cities as far away as Denver and Tulsa to protest the fast-track approval given to Energy Transfer Partners and their subsidiary Dakota Access, LLC.
