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Army Corps of Engineers

Tribes Prevail In North Dakota Pipeline Fight—For Now

By Stephanie Joyce, Wyoming Public Radio and Amy Sisk | September 9, 2016
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Amy Sisk/Inside Energy

A protest at North Dakota state capitol against the Dakota Access Pipeline on September 7, 2016.

A protest at North Dakota state capitol against the Dakota Access Pipeline on September 7, 2016.

Amy Sisk / Inside Energy

A protest at North Dakota state capitol against the Dakota Access Pipeline on September 7, 2016.

Are you at the protests? Does this situation affect your life? Text “pipeline” to 701-354-4414 to anonymously share your story with us. 

Construction on key parts of the controversial Dakota Access pipeline is on hold after the federal government stepped in Friday. The decision is a victory for the thousands of people who have gathered in North Dakota in recent weeks to protest the $3.7 billion pipeline.

Dakota Access is a 1,200-mile pipeline that could transport more than 500,000 barrels of crude oil a day from the Bakken to Illinois. Its planned route passes just north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe is concerned a break in the pipeline would contaminate its water supply, and that the pipeline’s route crosses sacred sites.

The decision by the Justice Department and Army Corps of Engineers to halt construction of the pipeline on federal lands surrounding the Missouri River came just minutes after a federal judge declined to do that same.

The Standing Rock tribe had filed a request in federal court for an injunction to stop construction on the pipeline while legal questions over its permit are resolved, but judge James Boasberg ruled against the tribe, saying he didn’t see evidence any laws were broken when the Army Corps issued permits for the pipeline.

The government’s surprise announcement said the tribes had raised important issues “regarding the Dakota Access pipeline specifically, and pipeline-related decision-making generally.” The agencies said they would initiate government-to-government consultation this fall with tribal leaders about the need for nationwide reforms to the infrastructure permitting process.

The government’s decision was met with praise and surprise by tribal leaders. Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault called it a “win for all Indians” during a press conference, and the tribe put out a press statement calling it a “game changer.”

Hundreds of people who had gathered on the lawn of the capitol in Bismarck to protest the pipeline instead sang, danced and chanted in celebration of the news.

The tribe says it will continue to pursue legal action against the pipeline.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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Related Series

Protesting The Pipeline: Standing Rock And The Dakota Access Pipeline

Native American tribes from across the country have gathered in North Dakota to protest the Dakota Access pipeline, a 1,200-mile pipeline that would carry oil from the Bakken to Illinois.

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  • Inside Energy News
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Dakota Access pipeline
  • DAPL
  • Department of Justice
  • NoDAPL
  • North Dakota
  • Pipeline
  • Standing Rock Sioux

About Amy Sisk

Amy Sisk is a reporter for Inside Energy based in North Dakota.

  • More by Amy

Read Next

  • Tribes Win One Fight, Lose Another In Pipeline Protest

    News that construction must stop on part of a controversial oil pipeline is drawing a mixed reaction from the people protesting it. That’s because even though a judge says work on the project can continue, the Obama administration surprised everyone when it announced it would block construction. Now, the fight over the Dakota Access pipeline is ramping up as it spreads from North Dakota to the nation’s capital.

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