The US government said on Friday that the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline’s construction should be put on hold.
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The agencies continued by saying “Furthermore, this case has highlighted the need for a serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes’ views on these types of infrastructure projects”.
The Standing Rock Sioux, whose tribal lands are a half-mile south of the proposed route, say the pipeline would desecrate sacred burial and prayer sites, and could leak oil into the Missouri and Cannon Ball rivers, on which the tribe relies for water. But then the Obama administration stepped in and stopped construction on federal land.
The company plans to complete the pipeline this year, and said in court papers that stopping the project would cost $1.4 billion the first year, mostly due to lost revenue in hauling crude.
Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II told hundreds of protesters who braved a torrential downpour to gather at the North Dakota Capitol grounds in Bismark that a public policy win is a lot stronger than a judicial win.
He called the federal announcement “a attractive start” and told reporters that the dispute is a long way from over. Energy Transfer Partners denied the allegations.
Just minutes later, the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of the Army and Department of the Interior issued a joint statement announcing a temporary halt to work on the pipeline.
Speaking from the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival world premiere of “Snowden” on Friday, actress Shailene Woodley, who has backed efforts to halt the pipeline, lauded the USA government’s decision.
Like the Standing Rock Sioux, Maine’s tribes have had conflicts with government and industry.
Other participants included Kirk Francis, chief of the Penobscot Nation, tribal elders and representatives of Canadian tribes.
Morton County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Rob Keller said the warrant has been recorded and if authorities somehow managed to run over Stein, “they would arrest her”.
At the very least, said the Laborers District Council of Minnesota and North Dakota, the administration should enforce any regulatory changes only on future projects, not retroactively on Dakota Access. There is little commercial storage available in North Dakota, so storing large volumes is not a possibility.
Environmentalist, Dallas Goldtooth says, “So we as indigenous people are well aware that we’re used to hearing promises from our federal governments”.
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Contrary to the tribe’s assertions that it was left out of the process, Boasberg said, the corps has documented dozens of its attempts to engage with Standing Rock officials in consultations to identify historical resources at Lake Oahe and other places covered by the permit. In a statement, the administration also asked the company to voluntarily stop construction within 20 miles of the section on federal land. Judge James Boasberg said in his ruling to continue construction that the tribe had not provided enough evidence to support their argument that building the pipeline would harm their livelihoods. Instead, it gave more reason to stand in solidarity. “I was doing my job by covering pipeline guards unleashing dogs and pepper spray on Native American protesters”.
