Army Approves Dakota Access Pipeline Route, Paving Way For The Project’s Completion

Court documents filed by Army officials show that a plan to prepare an environmental-impact statement to see how the pipeline would affect land and water would be terminated, according to the Washington Post. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said the pipeline would have the latest in safety equipment and that it would make the country more secure by allowing more domestic oil production.

The Dakota Access Pipeline and Keystone XL Pipeline were put on hold during the Obama administration.

In his executive order, President Trump said that these projects create jobs and strengthen the US economy.

The announcement was quickly and widely criticized by activist groups for appearing to support business interests over indigenous communities and the environment.

The federal government is now giving a green light to the Dakota Access Pipeline, the hotly debated oil pipeline that drew thousands of activists, including Native Hawaiians, to frigid North Dakota for months of public protest.

The Army on Wednesday granted the developer of the oil pipeline formal permission to lay pipe under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota, clearing the way for completion of the disputed $3.8 billion project. That includes waiving traditional Army Corps policy that requires a two week period between when the Army Corps notifies members of Congress of its intent to grant an easement and when the easement is actually granted; in this case, the Army Corps is only waiting 24 hours.

Energy Transfer Partners, the company developing the pipeline, took a beating during the protests.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has said that they would “vigorously pursue legal action” if the easement was granted.

Numerous people who were excited about this a few months ago seem to have moved on. “This is about humanity”.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Try as he might, Donald Trump will not be able to break the will of those standing up against this pipeline. “I don’t even think it was controversial”.

But Dallas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners, who is building the pipeline, insists it is safe, while politicians in North Dakota are backing its completion, saying it will allow United States producers to better compete with Canada by allowing for the cheaper transport of oil.

Members of the Indigenous Environmental Network and Standing Rock Sioux are calling for protests nationwide.

The tribe and its allies say the pipeline threatens sacred sites and they fear a leak could contaminate their drinking water. However, the video failed to corroborate the Department’s claims that the water protectors were “rogue protesters”, resisting arrest and “putting themselves in a precarious situation”. Protesters targeted the bank because they say it’s “a major funder” of the pipeline.

The Seattle City Council on Wednesday voted to cut ties with banking giant Wells Fargo over its role as a lender to the project as well as other business practices.