The tribe had sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in July, saying that they were not adequately consulted by the permit agency for the pipeline before the plans were drawn up.
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The federal government’s temporary stoppage of an oil pipeline may change the way energy projects are reviewed.
Hundreds of tribes across the country have headed their call for support against the oil pipeline, which they say would destroy sacred and cultural sites, pollute the drinking water of millions and threaten local ecosystems.
In total, 38 people have been arrested in connection with the protest, which saw members of Native American tribes demonstrate against an oil pipeline stretching from North Dakota to IL, amid fears it could impact water supplies on their nearby reservation land.
Dakota Access has declined to comment on whether the company will voluntarily stop construction in that area.
People rally on the grounds of the state Capitol in Bismarck, North Dakota, following a federal judge’s ruling in Washington denying a request by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe to halt construction on the Dakota Access pipeline, a thousand-mile pipeline being built to carry North Dakota crude oil across four states to IL.
The statement from the three federal agencies also said the case highlights the need for “a serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform” on considering tribes’ views on infrastructure projects.
On the other side of the issue, Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II has told protesters gathered at the North Dakota Capitol grounds that a public policy win regarding the Dakota Access pipeline is a lot stronger than a judicial win.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is opposed by over 200 Native American tribes who fear its impact on waterways. The Corps requested that the pipeline company voluntarily pause all construction within 20 miles east or west of Lake Oahe.
The Departments of Justice, Army and Interior jointly announced construction would temporarily pause on the pipeline near or under North Dakota’s Lake Oahe, a major water source on the Missouri River for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
“Protesters physically assaulted private security officers hired by Dakota Access Pipeline”.
Judge James Boasberg of the US District Court in Washington, DC had said that the tribe failed to show “it will suffer injury that would be prevented by any injunction the court could issue”. The Dakota Access Pipeline would taint sacred land and put the tribe’s water supply and health at risk.
But minutes later the Army Corps of Engineers who issued the permits for the project asked the company responsible for the almost 1,200 mile pipeline to voluntarily halt work near the reservation until the corps could re-evaluate those permits. Protesters who did not make the trek to Bismarck said it was what they expected.
Work on the pipeline near the reservation has been stop and go due to violence and legal challenges.
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One Oklahoma man said he’s planning to let his voice be heard by returning to support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
