Members of some 200 tribes and supporters have gathered for months at a North Dakota camp site near the pipeline’s planned route, some as early as April, to oppose the project.
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Energy Transfer Partners officials did not return phone calls or emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.
“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” on the site, authorities said in a statement.
It is not certain that the company will voluntarily agree to stop construction in the 20-mile zone on either side of Lake Oahe.
The 1,172-mile pipeline would stretch from the oil-rich Bakken Formation – a vast underground deposit where Montana and North Dakota meet Canada – southeast into South Dakota, Iowa and IL. Ness says Friday’s court shows the $3.8 billion pipeline has “met and exceeded” the requirements of four states and the federal government. From Illinois, the oil could go to markets and refineries across the Midwest, East Coast and Gulf Coast.
The project likely complies with the National Historic Preservation Act, Judge Boasberg wrote in a memorandum accompanying his Yesterday opinion. Having done so, the Court must nonetheless conclude that the Tribe has not demonstrated that an injunction is warranted here..
The worst case scenario for the pipeline builders is that the DAPL project will be completely rejected, as was the Keystone XL project. They understand what happened here was wrong.
Obama did send an August 31 letter to Fallon in Iowa, saying his administration has “made great strides” in confronting climate change and noted the federal government has strengthened so-called fracking regulations to protect public and Native American lands.
“The Army will move expeditiously to make this determination, as everyone involved – including the pipeline company and its workers – deserves a clear and timely resolution”, the agencies said in a statement.
The tribe argues the project threatens water supplies and has already disrupted sacred sites. Bold Alliance has been organising protests and reaching out to politicians.
It was unclear if the pipeline’s developer, Energy Transfer Partners, would perform work on other sections of the pipeline or comply with the government’s request.
Having proved to be in full compliance with every state and federal rule, the company previously said that it has secured all the necessary permits to push through with the project, arguing further, according to The New York Times, that it would “create jobs, pump millions into local economies and provide a reliable way to transport oil from western North Dakota to pipeline networks in IL that was safer than hauling oil on trucks or trains”. “Here they have no idea yet when this review is going to be complete”, said Brandon Barnes, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. A key firm hired during this time to provide security for the pipeline company, Dakota Access LLC, is the British multinational G4S-one of the largest private security corporations in the world targeted by a years-long global boycott campaign for profiting from the inhumane treatment of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including the torture of children.
It would carry oil from just north of land owned by the tribe to IL, where it would connect with an existing pipeline.
Across the several states affected, Dakota Access has also faced protests from landowners who object to the use of eminent domain to force the sale of privately owned lands.
Since then, opposition has intensified.
The issue has escalated into a national one in recent days, with protesters and media from across the country descending on both Bismarck and the site where the pipeline would cross the Missouri River near the reservation.
Protests became violent last weekend.
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. Celebrities have also chimed in, including Shailene Woodley, Susan Sarandon and the “Justice League” cast.
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Howard watched the confrontation on videos posted to social media.
