Federal officials have denied the final permits required for the Dakota Access Pipeline project in North Dakota.
The Army Corps of Engineers on Sunday announced it would instead conduct an environmental impact review of the 1,170-mile pipeline project and determine if there are other ways to route it to avoid a crossing on the Missouri River.
“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,” Army Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy said in a statement.
“The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing.”
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell released a statement in support of the decision, saying it is in line with federal laws designed to assess environmental impacts of infrastructure projects.
“The thoughtful approach established by the Army today ensures that there will be an in-depth evaluation of alternative routes for the pipeline and a closer look at potential impacts, as envisioned by NEPA,” Jewell said.
The decision comes after months of protests against the proposed project. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe objects to the pipeline, warning that it threatens its drinking water supply.
Sunday’s decision is a major victory for the tribe, which sued against other permitting decisions for the project, pushed the Obama administration to deny it, and rallied tribal allies and anti-pipeline activists to the cause.
“We wholeheartedly support the decision of the administration and commend with the utmost gratitude the courage it took on the part of President Obama, the Army Corps, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to take steps to correct the course of history and to do the right thing,” tribal Chairman Dave Archambault said.
Dakota Access developer Energy Transfer Partners has dismissed the tribe’s push, saying the pipeline route is safe and noting that the company and federal regulators worked to consult the tribe on the route before beginning construction.
The company has a strong ally in President-elect Donald Trump, who supports the project, according to a notice sent out to supporters last week.
Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren has said the project — a majority of which is complete — will move forward, even if it means waiting for Trump to take office next month.
Energy Transfers didn’t immediately respond to the announcement on Sunday.
The project’s supporters blasted the decision, but noted that the ultimate fate of the project rests with Trump.
“President Obama’s decision not to issue the final easement is a rejection of the entire regulatory and judicial system, as well as the scores of Army Corps of Engineers and civil servants who toiled for more than 800 days to ensure the process was followed correctly, in accordance with the law,” said Craig Stevens, a spokesman for the group Midwest Alliance for Infrastructure Now.
“With President-elect Trump set to take office in just a few weeks, we are hopeful that this is not the final word on the Dakota Access Pipeline.”
Dakota Access has turned into a flashpoint in both the indigenous rights and anti-fossil fuel movement.
The tribe has said the federal government failed to consult it before approving the pipeline’s route this summer, and warned the proposed path threatens both cultural heritage sites and drinking water supplies from the Missouri River.
Standing Rock’s opposition to the project — which it took to federal court in August — attracted the support of the anti-fossil fuel coalition of environmentalists that lined up against other projects like the Keystone Xl pipeline.
Together, an army of protesters — calling themselves “water protectors” — established a camp in North Dakota south of Bismarck protesting the project, while the tribe fought against it in the courts and within the Obama administration.
After a federal judge approved of regulators’ initial permitting process for the pipeline, the Obama administration immediately stepped in and said it would conduct a new review of the project. That review culminated in Sunday’s announcement from the Army Corps.
Originally taken from The Hill
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