The Army Corps of Engineers will not grant the Dakota Access Pipeline the right to drill under the Missouri River, amounting to a huge victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
In a statement, assistant secretary for civil works Jo-Ellen Darcy said that her decision is based on the need to explore alternate routes from the pipeline’s crossing. Her office had announced in November that it was delaying plans to move forward on the easement in order to allow for further discussion with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, whose reservation lies just half a mile south of the proposed crossing site:
“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.”
Darcy said that the consideration of alternative routes would be best accomplished through an Environmental Impact Statement with full public input and analysis.
Tribal chairman Dave Archambault II also released a statement:
“The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all of Indian Country will be forever grateful to the Obama administration for this historic decision,” he said.
“We hope that Kelcey Warren, Governor [Jack] Dalrymple, and the incoming Trump administration respect this decision and understand the complex process that led us to this point.” Archambault said.
The news of the victory is an enormous success for the thousands who have spent the last several months protesting, though Jan Hasselman, an attorney for the tribe, warned against any premature celebration.
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