The tribe says the pipeline would leave it vulnerable to contamination from oil spills and would damage historic and culturally significant sites in violation of the National Historic Preservation Act and National Environmental Policy Act.
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It’s a remote part of North Dakota that’s drawing the biggest crowds.
The board issued an order Wednesday requiring Dakota Access to provide detailed information about the progress of construction in Iowa and the cost the company will incur if it is required to work around the parcels.
Dakota Access argues in court documents that the pipeline construction “poses no real threat” to the Missouri River because the directional drilling technique is well-tested, environmentally sound and will place the pipeline at least 90 feet below the riverbed. It would traverse North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa, before eventually stopping in IL.
Representatives of all the Seven Council Fires of the Great Sioux Nation were together in unity at the spirit camps on August 20, when estimates are that at least 4,000 pipeline resisters participated in the resistance here.
Dave Archambault II, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, claimed the Dakota Access conduit could “poison” the region’s water supplies if the pipeline breaks or leaks where it crosses the river.
Right before noon, a pickup truck backed up to the water tanks and hauled them away, along with two air-conditioned trailers and a command center vehicle that had all been delivered last week by the North Dakota Department of Health at the request of the Standing Rock.
The pipeline will run close to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s reservation in North Dakota and across several rivers, including the Missouri and the MS, that supply drinking water for millions of people.
In legal filings, the agency has rejected the tribe’s accusations and said it consulted extensively with the tribes, including the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, before issuing the pipeline permits.
Goodhouse said in-state archeological firms likely would have been more familiar with the history of the area. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Rob Keller says the escorts will continue as long as necessary. Construction has been halted until a federal court hearing this week.
On Wednesday, District Court Judge James Boasberg held a hearing on the tribe’s motion for a preliminary injunction, and said he would announce his decision by September 9.
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The Dakota Access Pipeline, as proposed. In court documents, the company said the Dakota Access pipeline is 45% complete and that a temporary injunction to stop it would have “devastating short and long-term impacts” to the project.
