Dakota Access Pipeline: Army to Deny Current Route

CANNON BALL, ND — The Army Corps of Engineers said Sunday that the current route for the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would allow the pipeline to go under a section of the Missouri River that was opposed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and consequently by thousands of protesters who lent their voice to oppose the route, will be denied.

“Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not be granting the easement to cross Lake Oahe for the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline. Instead, the Corps will be undertaking an environmental impact statement to look at possible alternative routes," Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II said in the statement. "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."

Archambault added that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all of Indian Country will be forever grateful to the Obama administration for this historic decision.

Members of the tribe had contended that the pipeline would interfere with their water supply and that it was too close to sacred lands.

In a statement, the Army's Assistant Secretary for Civil Work, Jo-Ellen Darcy, said that the easement that would have allowed the pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe will not be approved. Darcy said the decision was based on a need to explore alternative routes for the pipeline crossing. Lake Oahe is a reservoir formed by a dam on the Missouri River.

Both the lake and the land on either side of it is controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers so the company building the pipeline needed its permission to drill underneath. In mid-November, the companies filed U.S. federal court applications asking a judge to allow them to go around the requirement.

"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."

Bernie Sanders, who had been a vocal opponent of the pipeline's route, tweeted that he appreciated President Obama listening to the Native American people.

In mid-November, Darcy's office announced it was delaying the decision on the easement to allow for discussions with members of the tribe.

The decision came after days of protests at the site of the proposed easement that at times turned violent, with protesters clashing with authorities. Officials had ordered protesters to clear the land, and the Army gave demonstrators a deadline to leave by Dec. 5. At least 2,000 veterans arrived at the site on Sunday to protest the pipeline.

A majority of the pipeline, except for the part that would run under the river, has been built. The pipeline, owned by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, will connect the Bakken and Three Forks production areas in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. The approximately 1,172-mile, 30-inch diameter pipeline would transport approximately 470,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with a capacity as high as 570,000 barrels per day or more.

President-elect Donald Trump supports the pipeline, and Kelcy Warren, CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, has previously said that the project will move forward even if it means waiting for Trump to take office.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.

Image via Morton County Sheriff's Office