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Tribal members in Spokane gather to stand against pipeline

Last Friday, a federal judge rejected a request from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to stop construction.

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However, federal officials are only asking the company building the pipeline to pause all construction within 20 miles of the lake pending a thorough review of the permits. He says the Standing Rock Sioux refused to meet with federal regulators initially.

Supporters of the $3.8 billion pipeline were dismayed at the news, saying it sets a risky precedent for political interference in legally permitted development.

After Judge Boasberg said in his ruling that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision to fast-track the pipeline project was not illegal, tribal leaders quickly filed a notice of appeal.

Most significantly, they’re considering reform. “Having done so, the Court must nonetheless conclude that the Tribe has not demonstrated that an injunction is warranted here”.

Reports say work has halted in one section of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, while protesters continue to permeate camps set up near construction site.

The political battle, meanwhile, is just heating up. In North Dakota, the pipeline would cross beneath the Little Missouri River once and the Missouri River twice.

The pipeline is already under construction in Morgan County.

Some 200 Native American tribes have united against the 3.2 billion euro project, while proponents claim the construction is the safest way to transport oil.

The Corps of Engineers can block construction on its land, which does stop the contested Missouri River crossing, at least for now.

Here are a map of the pipeline route, the joint statement from the federal agencies and the district court ruling.

The company has declined to comment since the Corps announced Friday construction would be paused on Corps land while the agency evaluates whether it needs to reconsider any of its previous decisions under the National Environmental Policy Act or other federal laws.

Members of Congress are also joining the fray.

On Thursday, North Dakota’s archaeologist said a piece of private land that was not previously surveyed by the state would be surveyed for artifacts next week. Others, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), have also voiced their opposition to the project. “The Army Corps has never been truthful with the tribes, so we must always be cautious of whatever they say”. Timmons wants discussions of the pipeline project to be “peaceful, respectful and productive”, but adds that it’s time for the administration to “put its political agenda aside”.

“Protesters physically assaulted private security officers hired by Dakota Access Pipeline”.

In a joint announcement released Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior and the Department of the Army have stopped further work on the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). “Based on the Administration’s actions today, these workers’ jobs are in peril”.

The video footage has been widely cited by people who have since criticized the use of dogs by the security personnel, including the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota.

“The Guard members will serve in administrative capacities and assist in providing security at traffic information points”, the statement said.

They pumped their firsts in the air and chanted, “I believe that we will win” and carried signs that read “Respect Our Water” and “Water Is Sacred”.

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“This could bog down or delay every single infrastructure project moving forward”, he said.

Obama halts oil pipeline after thousands of Native Americans protest