US Army Corps of Engineers delays Dakota Access pipeline project
The US Army Corps of Engineers has delayed its pipeline decision to discuss the project with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Pipeline backers, meanwhile, are growing increasingly impatient.
People march during a protest in Bismarck against plans to pass the Dakota Access pipeline under Lake Oahe and near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, N.D., on Nov. 14, 2016.
Stephanie Keith/ Reuters
鈥淎dditional discussion and analysis鈥� are necessary before the US Army Corps of Engineers can make a decision about whether to let construction proceed on the Dakota Access pipeline, the Army said on Monday.
Following protests by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and their supporters, the Obama administration halted construction on the pipeline in September to review the permits for part of the pipeline that passes under Lake Oahe, a sacred site for the tribe. On Monday, the government concluded that review, and announced that construction would remain suspended while the government and Standing Rock Sioux discussed ways to reduce spill risks and protect the tribe鈥檚 water supplies.
Given the dispossession historically faced by the Great Sioux Nation, making the right judgment in this case is important, the government said. The delay is intended to give the government time to address the Standing Rock Sioux tribe鈥檚 concerns. But pipeline backers are becoming increasingly impatient, saying the latest delay lacks legal justification.
鈥淭his action is at the expense of a company that has done nothing but play by the rules it was given,鈥� said Kelcy Warren, the chief executive of Energy Transfer Partners, which is building the pipeline, in a statement.
The Dakota Access pipeline聽route stretches for more than 1,000 miles, and was designed to carry oil聽from the Bakken shale fields to the Gulf of Mexico, via Illinois. Proponents say the pipeline is a safer, cheaper alternative to existing transit options that would help reduce overcrowding on those routes.聽
The delay has created uncertainty about future infrastructure projects, and left many in North Dakota鈥檚 shale industry concerned about their jobs.
Over the past year, the pipeline has faced opposition from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, who say the part of the pipeline intended to pass under Lake Oahe threatens their sacred sites, while an oil spill could jeopardize their water supply and economic security.聽
The original plan had routed the pipeline across the Missouri River, raising concerns that the drinking water of Bismarck, North Dakota鈥檚 capital city, could be contaminated. For the Standing Rock Sioux, the reroute is part of the discrimination historically faced by native Americans.
鈥淭he problem we have 鈥撀燼nd this is a long history of problems that evolved over time 鈥撀爄s where the federal government or corporations ,鈥� Standing Rock Sioux Chairman David Archambault II told CNN in October.
Protection of tribal lands has contributed to a revitalization聽of culturally inspired activism聽within native American communities, fueling support for halting construction on the pipeline.聽
The US Army Corps of Engineers may hope that planned discussions with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe will help bridge the growing divide between the two sides. They intend to discuss ways to , they said in a statement.
More than 200 anti-pipeline protests have been planned for Tuesday, 鈥渢o elevate the issue and 鈥� encourage the Army Corps to exert its power to stop this pipeline,鈥� Dallas Goldtooth, a spokesman for Indigenous Environmental Network, which is participating in the protests, told Reuters.
President-elect Donald Trump has expressed support for pipeline projects, though he has not specifically commented on the Dakota Access pipeline.
Material from Reuters contributed to this report.