Obama Halts Dakota Pipeline Construction
Washington, D.C. – The Obama administration has issued a statement that it is halting the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline which encroaches upon the sacred land of Native Americans.
In the statement, the administration also plans to reassess the process for including tribal input in the approval process and to determine if the approval process needs a comprehensive overhaul.
The announcement comes on the heels of a federal district court decision to refuse to grant an injunction to block the pipeline sought by Native American and environmental groups. The 1,134-mile pipeline stretches from North Dakota to Iowa is being built by Energy Transfer Partners.
According to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, sought a temporary injunction to halt the construction, said, “the pipeline would threaten their sacred lands and threaten the health of 17 million people who rely on the Missouri River for water.” The Standing Rock Sioux Tribal members are descendants of the Teton and Yankton Bands of the Lakota/Dakota Nations. The Reservation is thirty-four miles south of Mandan, North Dakota.
The decision to halt its construction is seen as a victory for the members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe which brought the suit as well as thousands of environmentalists around the world who have stood in solidarity against the destruction expected to be caused by the pipeline.
