Government blocks pipeline route
Victory for Standing Rock and supporters who say they’re prepared to stay put
CANNON BALL, N.D. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Sunday that it won’t grant an easement for the Dakota Access oil pipeline in southern North Dakota, handing a victory to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and its supporters, who argued the project would threaten a water source and cultural sites.
North Dakota’s leaders criticized the decision, with Gov. Jack Dalrymple calling it a “serious mistake” that “prolongs the dangerous situation” of having several hundred protesters who are camped out on federal land during cold, wintry weather. Representative Kevin Cramer said it’s a “very chilling signal” for the future of infrastructure in the United States.
The four-state, $3.8-billion project is largely complete except for the now-blocked segment underneath Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir. Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy said in a news release that her decision was based on the need to “explore alternate routes” for the pipeline’s crossing.
“Although we have had continuing discussion and exchanges of new information with the Standing Rock Sioux and Dakota Access, it’s clear that there’s more work to do,” Darcy said.
“The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing.”
The company constructing the pipeline, Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, had said it was unwilling to reroute the project. It and the Morton County Sheriff’s Office, which has done much of the policing of the protests, didn’t have immediate comment.
U.S. Secretary for the Interior Sally Jewell said in a statement that the Corps’ “thoughtful approach ... ensures that there will be an indepth evaluation of alternative routes for the pipeline and a closer look at potential impacts.”
Standing Rock Sioux tribal chair Dave Archambault didn’t immediately respond to messages left seeking comment.
The federal government has ordered people to leave the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires, encampment on Army Corps of Engineers’ land by Monday. But demonstrators say they’re prepared to stay, and authorities say they won’t forcibly remove them.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the Department of Justice will “continue to monitor the situation” and stands “ready to provide resources to help all those who can play a constructive role in easing tensions.”
Authorities moved a blockade Sunday from the north end of the Backwater Bridge with the conditions that protesters stay south of it and come there only if there is a prearranged meeting. Authorities also asked protesters not to remove barriers on the bridge, which they have said was damaged in the late October conflict that led to several people being hurt, including a serious arm injury.